Welcome to the Windy City: Chicago Fire 4, CF Montréal 3

CHICAGO, Ill. — Over the last few years, the Chicago Fire have constantly been on the receiving end of cataclysmic collapses. Today, it was the other way around.

The Men in Red, donning their new jerseys for just the second time, claimed a thrilling 4-3 victory over then-undefeated CF Montréal in one of the more epic MLS games in recent memory.

“It's good to be on the other side of games like this, you know,” head coach Frank Klopas remarked after the match. “It's one of those memorable games that will be hard to forget.”

A pleasant early afternoon crowd of more than 14,000 fans had gathered at Soldier Field, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows from the opening whistle. Montréal jumped to a two-goal lead within 12 minutes as Matías Cóccaro converted a pair of penalty kicks, both of which he won himself. The first required a lengthy VAR check and ensured that the continued use of replacement referees remains a talking point among fans.

The second penalty had been conceded by Tobias Salquist, who received a yellow card for his offense. Salquist and the rest of the back line solidified well after going down 2-0 in such rapid and shocking fashion, tightening up at the back as the half went on. Thibaut Courtois’ exciting Montréal team elected to sit back and defend their lead, inviting pressure from the Fire, who were unable to break down the compact back five.

Maren Haile-Selassie gave them a glimmer of hope just before halftime, though. The Swiss winger saw an inch of space inside Jonathan Sirois’ near post, and scored from a tight angle to bring the score to 2-1. At the interval, Klopas pulled Salquist for Carlos Terán due to the looming yellow card threat, a change that would ultimately change the game despite Salquist’s msotly good first half performance.

The second half would proceed to be largely a continuation of how most of the first half played out; a compact Montréal team that have the hosts few opportunities to break through. DP striker Hugo Cuypers, who entered the game still searching for his first Fire goal, struggled to find good looks at goal, and service from Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri was limited. In the 70th minute, Dominic Yankov scored a goal that it seemed would put the game beyond all doubt, making it 3-1.

Now behind by two, Klopas opted to go all out attack. Georgios Koustias had been introduced for Shaqiri just prior to Yankov’s goal, and Tom Barlow came on for Chase Gasper shortly after. The Fire folded into what the manager described as a “2-4-1-3” formation, with three natural center forwards on the field. It was a bold move that would pay off.

It wasn’t without a stroke of luck. Former Fire player Raheem Edwards, returning to the city where he played in 2018 and 2019, fouled Koutsias in the 18 yard box, both receiving a red card and giving away a Fire penalty in the process. Somewhat surprisingly, homegrown Brian Gutiérrez, just a day after he was snubbed from the U.S. U-23 roster, stepped up to the spot and buried his kick, making it a one-goal game with six minutes of regulation to play.

When the referee awarded nine minutes of stoppage time, however, the Fire knew it was an opportunity too good not to take. The Montréal game fell just seven days after a controversial decision awarded Columbus ten minutes of added time against the Fire, which the Crew utilized to score a 100th minute winner. The tables were turned this time.

The comeback continued when Hugo Cuypers finally scored his first MLS goal, finishing inside the box off of a Carlos Terán assist. With still four minutes on the clock, Cuypers and the Fire weren’t content with a point and raced back to the center circle.

Then, the crucial moment came. And it was in a way nobody could have imagined.

Free agent addition Kellyn Acosta received a simple pass from goalkeeper Chris Brady inside his own half. His attempt to put the ball in the box in search of a teammate inadvertently proceeded to end up in the back of the net with the help of a gust of classic Chicago wind.

“When it left my foot, I was almost upset with myself like ‘Dang I kind of blew an opportunity,’” Acosta said postgame. “Then I realized this might have a chance, I saw the keeper take two steps, and I’m like, ‘this really might have a chance’, and yeah, he came out and it went over his head and the rest was history.”

Acosta’s first goal for the club was one fans will never forget, even if the wind deserves nearly as much credit as the 28-year-old U.S. international. It ensured a result that could propel the Fire to finally kick-start their season, despite an extremely challenging schedule to start 2024.

“There was a big belief within the group all the way to the end and, we scored three goals after we came from behind,” Klopas said. “They don't call it the Windy City for nothing!”