Thrown Out: New York City FC 3, Chicago Fire 1
THE BRONX, N.Y. — Three strikes, you’re out.
The Chicago Fire went to the Bronx seeking a first-ever win at New York City FC, and a first MLS win in the State of New York. They didn’t get it.
Riding a three-game winning run, Head Coach Gregg Berhalter stuck with what’s been working. He fielded an unchanged lineup from last week’s 4-1 win at Charlotte FC, with the only swap in the matchday squad being a return for Leo Barroso to the bench after two months out with injury.
Yankee Field’s below-regulation-sized pitch was conducive to lots of action early. Chris Brady had to make an early save against Alonso Martínez. That moment would prove a sign of things to come for the Costa Rican.
At the other end of the field, the Fire got themselves up and running in the 19th minute. Philip Zinckernagel slotted a ball into the bottom left corner of the net, scoring for the third successive game off of an assist from Jonathan Dean.
The action didn’t stop. Alonso Martínez missed another huge chance, skying the ball from close range over an empty net, and then violently rattled the crossbar with a shot a few moments later. Andrew Gutman but the ball into NYCFC’s net, but it was ruled offside.
Right as the Men in Red seemed to be cruising into the break in control of an intense game, they proved to be architects of their own eventual downfall. 21-year-old Brian Gutiérrez was sent off for a high elbow off the ball, setting up his second one-game suspension of the season.
The Fire never looked the same after being reduced to ten men, and opted to pull Jonathan Bamba at halftime for Rominigue Kouamé to restore numbers in the midfield. They also lost holding midfielder Mauricio Pineda to an injury, with Djé D’Avilla taking his place.
As New York City grew into the game with their man advantage, it seemed like a collapse was inevitable for the Fire. Justin Haak beat a re-introduced Leo Barroso inside the penalty box, and assisted Monsef Bakrar for his first goal of the season. Brady had made multiple saves, but pressure continued to mount with an extra player on the home side.
12 minutes after the equalizer came the dagger that everyone saw coming. Hannes Wolf delivered it, spinning around Barroso before curling it into the right side of the goal. Brady again made a big save to keep the scare at two, but such a heroic performance still couldn’t provide help at the other end of the pitch.
Things went from bad to worse. D’Avilla appeared to have made an incredible tackle to prevent a third NYCFC goal from a counter attack, but referee Rosendo Mendoza blew for a foul inside the box. D’Avilla was also awarded a secord yellow card and was sent off. After a lengthy VAR check, the call was inexplicably upheld.
With the 3-1 final score, the Fire stumble to 11th place, two points below the playoff line. They’ll stay on the road and face Orlando City next Saturday.
Player Ratings
Starting XI (4-3-3) — Chris Brady (8); Andrew Gutman (7.5), Jack Elliott (7), Sam Rogers (6.5), Jonathan Dean (7); Mauricio Pineda (7.5), Sergio Oregel Jr. (7), Brian Gutiérrez (3.5); Jonathan Bamba (5.5), Philip Zinckernagel (7.5), Hugo Cuypers (5.5)
Substitutes — Djé D'Avilla (4.5), Rominigue Kouamé (6), Leo Barroso (5), Omari Glasgow (NR), Maren Haile-Selassie (NR)
