Maple Meltdown: Toronto FC 1, Chicago Fire 2
TORONTO, Ontario — Go to Canada, get three points, and claim them tax-free through customs. That was the Chicago Fire’s goal this weekend when they took on Toronto FC, and they accomplished it, stunning the hosts 2-1 in come-from-behind fashion.
Following the team’s first win of 2025, Head Coach Gregg Berhalter took his team north of the border for the first time in his tenure. It was Toronto’s home opener, and their U.S. opposition was not greeted warmly; boos drowned out the Star Spangled Banner prior to an enthusiastic rendition of O Canada.
The off-field factors did add an element of spice to what was already set up to be an interesting matchup. While the attendance at BMO Field was far from a sell-out, the fans who did turn up were invested right from the opening whistle.
Minutes into the game, the home fans had a reason to celebrate. Forward DeAndre Kerr leaped over the Fire’s Jonathan Dean to give Toronto a 1-0 lead early on, scoring his first goal of the season. Kerr’s header appeared to have been scored from an offside position, but after video review, it was awarded nonetheless.
The sequence also left Dean hurt, and he exited the game with an injury shortly thereafter to be replaced by 19-year-old Leonardo Barroso.
Despite conceding first for the third successive game, the Fire responded well, as they have throughout this season. In the 27th minute, homegrown midfielder Sergio Oregel, making his fourth career MLS start, came within inches of scoring his first professional goal, but his shot from outside the box struck the post.
Then, in a moment of madness, the game was level again. Andrew Gutman ripped a shot from just outside the penalty box past ex-Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson, doubling his tally for the year after also scoring the equalizer last week. The U.S.-born left back then cuffed his ears to the hostile crowd, leaving BMO Field silent.
From that point on, the first half was totally dominated by the Fire, as Robin Fraser’s TFC team was pinned into their own half. A Brian Gutiérrez free kick almost found the net in the 43rd minute, but was well saved by Johnson, who kept the game level.
That 1-1 score didn’t last much longer, however. Oregel and Cuypers combined with Barroso, who bombed forward down the right side. The Portuguese defender chopped the ball into the box for Cuypers, who walked the ball into an empty net. Seven days after scoring his first MLS goal, he added his first MLS assist, and Cuypers scored for the fourth time in three matches.
Halftime served as a refresh for both teams, and after the 15-minute pause, Toronto suddenly seemed like they were right back in the game. Star winger Federico Bernardeschi, a former member of the Italian national team, began to pose a more real threat.
The Fire and Toronto traded big opportunities around the hour mark. Cuypers missed a one-on-one opportunity which he sent wide, while Bernardeschi saw a chance of his own flash wide left of the post.
In the 71st minute, a corner from Gutiérrez found the head of Cuyoers, who appeared to have scored yet another goal. Johnson immediately protested, and his appeals were rewarded when VAR overturned the finish. The review claimed that substitute Maren Haile-Selassie – just minutes after coming into the game for his season debut – had committed a foul during the sequence.
The action didn’t stop there, and anxiety began to set in for the visitors. They came to a fever pitch in the 81st minute when center back Jack Elliott directed a powerful corner toward his own goal, but fortunately, Chris Brady was there to stop it.
From there on out, the Fire held their nerve. Brady again blocked a Jonathan Osorio cross in the 89th minute, and that was Toronto’s last big opportunity. Omari Glasgow came close to making it 3-1 with one of the final kicks of the game, but it wasn’t needed as the Fire secured back-to-back road wins for the first time since 2023.
“Our objective is just to keep improving our performances,” Berhalter said postgame. “I think you saw that today.”
Player Ratings
Starting XI (4-3-3): Chris Brady (7); Andrew Gutman (8.5), Jack Elliott (7.5), Sam Rogers (7.5), Jonathan Dean (5); Mauricio Pineda (6.5), Sergio Oregel Jr. (8), Brian Gutiérrez (7.5); Jonathan Bamba (7), Philip Zinckernagel (6), Hugo Cuypers (8)
Substitutes: Leonardo Barroso (8), Omari Glasgow (7), Maren Haile-Selassie (5.5), Tom Barlow (N/R), Sam Williams (N/R)
