NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Chicago Fire entered Saturday having never won in Nashville, and that wasn't about to change.
The home team, led by B.J. Callaghan, came away 3-0 winners over the Fire, extending their shock winless run to seven games.
Entering Geodis Park six games without a win in all competitions, Gregg Berhalter had to make a change. He started with a new shape, rolling out a 5-2-3 out of possession that used Noah Allen as a central center back with Andrew Gutman to his left. Red-hot Maren Haile-Selassie started as a left wing back who joined the attack in possession.
Both teams started the game with a string of balls over the top, but several offsides prevented any chances from being actually dangerous. Djé D'Avilla had a bright start, playing through pressure a few times, but none of the Fire's back line could spark a dangerous counter attack with Philip Zinckernagel and Robin Lod isolated further down the field.
Eventually, Nashville managed to produce a clinical chance, exposing the same flaw that hurt the Fire twice against New England last week. Jonathan Dean last track of Reed Baker-Whiting down the Fire's right side, and the 21-year-old converted fullback teed up Sam Surridge for the opening goal. Jack Elliott lost his mark on the MLS Golden Boot contender and was responsible for a goal in similar fashion for the second successive game.
After the goal, the Fire moved away from the 5-2-3, returning to a back four. However, the change did little to facilitate any further attacking output in the first half, and the Fire ended the half with just two total shots.
The first chance of the second half came quickly after a rapid sequence of passes in the final third. Haile-Selassie dropped into the middle as D'Avilla and Sergio Oregel were both involved, but in the end, Dean's attempted cross flew wide of the mark.
That stretch did add some energy to the Fire. Zinckernagel's first major attacking involvement of the game came in the 54th minute, when he curled a long-distance shot wide of the target. A deflected Dean cross in the 56th minute forced first-time USMNT call-up, Mt. Prospect native, and DePaul University alum Brian Schwake into a sneakily difficult save for Nashville.
When that attacking spell came and went, Berhalter needed to keep things fresh to maintain any momentum. Puso Dithejane and Jonathan Bamba were the obvious choices, but interestingly, Bamba was used through the middle, underneath Robert Lewandowski – a role he hasn't played in a Fire shirt.
In the 75th minute, another change was made – Berhalter introduced Anzor Mekvabishvili in midfield, handing the Georgia international an MLS debut just days after arriving in Chicago.
Almost immediately, though, the Fire's hard work in the second half was undone. A similar sequence – a low ball in behind and a cross drilled across the box resulted in Nashville's second goal, with Cristián Espinoza doubling the score late.
In a familiar tale for the Fire, Hany Mukhtar added the exclamation point late. The 2023 MLS MVP was granted lots of space on a counter attack, and there was nothing Chris Brady could do to stop the ensuing finish.
The defeat marks the Fire's seventh game in all competitions without a win, and sixth in MLS. The unfortunate streak follows six successive wins, the Fire's first such run since 1998. It is also the first time they have been shut out since March 7th.
With the loss, the Fire remain in 5th in the Eastern Conference, and will be unable to catch 4th-place Charlotte when the teams meet next Saturday. Both sides will be without several key pieces due to the international break. The Philadelphia Union's win puts them three points behind the Fire in 6th, although the Fire have a game in hand on every other team in the conference bar Inter Miami.
Starting XI (5-2-3) — Brady (7); Haile-Selassie (7), Gutman (6), Allen (7), Elliott (5), Dean (5); Oregel Jr. (6.5), D'Avilla (7.5); Lod (5.5), Lewandowski (6), Zinckernagel (5.5)
Substitutes – Bamba (6.5), Dithejane (6.5), Mekvabishvili (7), Gómez (NR), Pineda (NR)
