New York City FC 1, Chicago Fire 0 | Player Ratings

With complete control over their fate, the Fire missed out on the playoffs once again after a goal from Julián Fernández in the 64th minute hoisted the hosts into the post-season. Here is a recap of the Fire’s individual performers.

*Players are listed in the order they lined up, followed by substitutes in the order they appeared

Starting XI

Chris Brady (7) – Brady once again proved that he will be a force to be reckoned with for the Fire (if he does not get a move to Europe). Facing NYCFC’s four shots in target, three of them resulted in saves. Given that Fernández hit an absolute curler into the top-left corner, it would be harsh to expect any goalie to keep that shot out of the net. After getting called up for the USA’s U-23 friendlies, the shot-stopper showed no signs of fatigue and ultimately put in a game in a now-long list of impressive performances.

Alonso Aceves (7.5) – In potentially his last game for the club, Aceves started over Miguel Ángel Navarro at left-back. Although not the choice many would make, Aceves performed very well in a loss that brought nothing but dread. The Mexican defender created 0.11 expected assists from four accurate crosses and overall was extremely involved with play as he registered 67 total touches. On the defensive end, Aceves also won 80% of his seven duels, pairing that with two tackles. In the 84th minute, Aceves was substituted for  Navarro.

Rafael Czichos (6.5) – Rafa put in another solid 90 minutes as the team’s left center-back. Czichos put a lot of physical pressure on NYCFC, signified by his nine duels, where he won 75% of them. His play in possession was good as well, attempting eight total long-balls and yielding a pass accuracy of 85%. More leadership was needed in such a game, however, and seeing as all that was needed was a point, a point of emphasis for the next coach should be the captaincy, considering Czichos is 33 years old.

Carlos Terán (6.5) – On the other side of this defensive pairing, Terán also put in a good performance. The Colombian was as active as any other, with seven total duels, however, on the other end of the pitch, he did miss a solid opportunity to get the Fire into the postseason for the first time since 2017. Collectively, the squad, in general, simply never played like they deserved it, but what a moment it could have been for Terán.

Jonathan Dean (6) – Dean had a quiet performance on the night, leaving little impression on either side of the pitch. Defensively, Dean did not win any of his seven total duels, also missing out on completing any tackles. Positioning-wise, Dean did get into solid positions on the right flank to provide service, but the team itself did not look deadly and really any point in the match, therefore, nothing came out of it.

Federico Navarro (7) – Returning to the starting XI for the first time since August 31st, Fede was the same-old same-old. Navarro registered a pass accuracy of 86%, but did not create any chances. Backtracking, Fede also entered into seven duels, winning 66.7% of those engagements. Navarro was substituted in the 75th minute for Mauricio Pineda.

Ousmane Doumbia (6) – Another loanee who may have played his last game for the Fire, Ousmane Doumbia’s profile proved to be too similar to his midfield partner to make any major impact. Doumbia won a lowly 42.9% of his duels, and while he maintained a relatively high passing accuracy of 87.5%, he also only made a single pass into the final third. Doumbia was substituted for Kacper Przybyłko in the 75th minute.

Brian Gutiérrez (7) – One of two players who made any offensive impact, Guti showed an incredible work ethic to get into dangerous areas in an effort to create chances. The youngster registered an expected goals and assists ratio of 0.16 and passed into the final third on seven occasions. With nine ball recoveries and 13 duels, it was a well-rounded performance that unfortunately ended in defeat.

Xherdan Shaqiri (6) – Another important match, another game where Shaqiri ghosted. The Swiss designated player overdid the simple things on many occasions, and for the third-highest earner in the league, five goals and four assists across 28 games is simply no justification for continuing to play in Chicago. In this match, Shaq held one of the Fire’s lowest pass accuracies and was just ripping shots with little to no malice in them at all to test Matt Freese. A part of the Fire’s larger Swiss-led headache

Fabian Herbers (7) – With a contract ending in December, hopefully, a new front-office gives Fabi an extension, as his work for the club is appreciated despite being signed on as a role-player, but nothing is guaranteed so this may have been a fan-favorites final game for Chicago. Herbers gave it his all against the team he scored against on opening day, having played an extremely well-rounded match. Fabi had an incredible opportunity saved in the first half that helped contribute to his 0.63 expected goals and assists and contributed on the defensive end with seven duels, but it was not enough as he pulled at the 64th minute for Maren Haile-Selassie.

Georgios Koutsias (6.5) – After having a positive international window with Greece’s U-21 team, Koutsias ended the season without having the impact that many had hoped for. Koutsi got into good attacking areas with solid linkup play and really should have grabbed a goal, however it never came. He also completed all three of his attempted dribbles, which is great, considering that is often one of his weak points. Koutsias ended the match in the 65th minute when he was substituted for Kei Kamara.

Substitutes

Maren Haile-Selassie (6) – Replacing Fabian Herbers in the 64th minute, Maren looked good in the time he got on the pitch, creating a chance and compiling a pass accuracy of 100%. It should be noted that this was done only within 13 touches and that the winger had basically no defensive presence, but overall, in what could have been his last match for the club, Maren was good. Given the ease of making a deal for him to find himself in a red home kit next year, paired with his reported desire to stay, do not be surprised if he remains a player for the club in the future.

Kei Kamara (6) – Confirmed after the match in an interview with MIR’s Alex Calabrese, this was the last time we saw Kei in a Fire kit. Appearing as a sub for Koutsias in the 65th minute, the striker’s age showed as he was generally slow to get into the attack and on the end of chances, getting zero shots on target out of three attempts, as well as creating zero chances otherwise. Whatever comes next, Kei’s time in Chicago is much appreciated.

Kacper Przybyłko (5.5) – Speaking of appreciated time, here is the opposite of that spectrum. Kacper came on as a sub for Doumbia in the 75th minute and had his usual effect. The Pole had zero shots, a pass accuracy of 40%, and only entered into a single duel. There is not much else to say about a performance this time.

Maurico Pineda (6) – Coming on for Navarro in the 75th minute for his return from injury, Mauri was solid in his short tenure on the pitch. Pineda rang up a pass accuracy of 91.7% and entered into four duels in twenty minutes played, which would be great stats for starters even.

Miguel Ángel Navarro (6) – Replacing Aceves in the 84th minute, although his time on the field was limited to ten minutes, the Venezuelan international made good use of his limited time. The left-back created a goalscoring opportunity and won his lone duel.

Manager

Frank Klopas (6.5) – In potentially his last stint as coach of the Chicago Fire, Klopas did not do anything unexpected or shocking in terms of his personnel selection. Dean over Souquet was expected, given that the Frenchman is currently in the doghouse. Aceves over Miggy was a bit of a surprise, but given Navarro’s time at international duty, a bit of a rest makes sense. After that, it is what it is. Klopas gave it his best for the club once again, and as an interim coach with a manager who had his signing privileges largely revoked, what else could he do? Once again, thank you, Frank Klopas!

Writer’s Note

I’d like to take the time to thank every reader MIR has had over the course of the season. The Chicago Fire are a difficult club to try and love, and with fans coming and going, this year was different than others in the way that we tried to build a community. Not many will blindly follow a team that makes the playoffs once every blue moon, but this season, we saw plenty of glimpses of a deeper culture being built, and not all the credit goes to content creators. MIR was stood up with the goal of being a go-to outlet for MLS fan content, and in our first year, we saw ourselves take our first steps forward towards that goal, and that wouldn't be possible without our readers, so thank you to each and every one of you!