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The Chicago Fire’s first win in front of home fans this season will have to wait until May, as they dropped a 3-1 decision to FC Cincinnati. As a result, the Fire fall to 3W-3D-3L and eighth place in the Eastern Conference and the team will be winless at home through at least 10 games for the first time since the 2014 season. The win improves FC Cincinnati’s record to 6W-1D-2L on the year.
In a recurring theme for the Fire, the team’s strong play for stretches of the match but simple mistakes and careless errors cost the Fire. “I think it’s an extremely disappointing performance from the group tonight,” Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter said after the match. “We talked about carrying momentum, carrying the same type of intensity that we showed up with last week, and I didn’t feel like we did that ... I don’t feel like we brought enough today," and later calling the performance a "collective loss."
The match – which figured to be a tough, physical battle against a dogged FC Cincinnati defense, did have those elements, but ultimately, poor refereeing choices – most of which did not impact the scoreline – became the dominating storyline of the match.
Gregg Berhalter rolled out an unchanged starting lineup from last week. That gives Omari Glasgow his second start at the right wingback position after having been pulled into the role last week when the Fire had an acute shortage of players at the position. This week, however, Jonathan Dean was back in the lineup, but was on the bench after suffering a punctured lung March 15th against Toronto. Defender Sam Rogers also returned to the lineup, but Leonardo Barroso and Rominingue Kouamé remained out.
FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan’s squad, meanwhile, was able to field a close-to-full-strength starting lineup for the first time this season, with the return of midfielder Evander and Matt Miazga to the lineup. The start marked the Cincinnati captain’s return to the XI for the first time since suffering an injury on June 15th last season. Yuya Kubo and Teenage Hadebe, however, remained out for the Garys.
After a series of games where the team spent the opening minutes absorbing pressure, the Fire were sharp in the opening minutes but conceded early after a bizarre play that started just outside Cincinnati’s box. Lorenzo Hernandez clipped Maurio Pineda, and FC Cincinnati made short work of going up field. Evander let off a shot that deflected off of Sergio Oregel Jr., who had done a good job tracking back, past Chris Brady.
Because the referee didn’t touch the ball on the play causing possession to change, he wasn’t obliged to stop the play and the goal stood. “I don’t know what I can say,” Andrew Gutman said about the referee’s decision after the match.
The night got worse for the Fire just a few minutes later, when Carlos Terán fell with non-contact injury, pulling Sam Rogers into the game in the 21st minute.
A few minutes later, the Fire had their response. Glasgow played the ball to Jonathan Bamba who played a well-timed pass from near the halfway point of the field to Cuypers who sent it past Celentano for his sixth goal of the season, leveling the game at 1-1 in the 31st minute. The goal gave Bamba his fifth assist of the season.
The Fire had pressure later in the half, but couldn’t convert, and just in the 42nd minute, the visitors struck again. As the ball was heading to the Fire goal line, Sam Rogers elected to recover instead of letting it out for a corner, and had his pocket picked by Sérgio Santos who played to Kévin Denkey who showed no hesitation as he sent it past Brady.
Asked about what it was like having the team go down after finding an equalizer just ten minutes earlier, Brady didn’t mince words, calling it an “absolute gut punch,” while noting that conceding the second goal “was all within our control. I think we all could have done better.”
Afterwards, the Togolese striker lifted his shirt showing a message of remembrance for former Cincinnati striker Aaron Boupdendza, who passed away earlier in the week. He never removed his jersey, but was still – inexplicably – issued a yellow card for the gesture.
Matt Miazga was taken off at half in favor of Gilberto Flores, but the Fire made no changes as they searched for an equalizer.
In the opening 15 minutes of the second half, the Fire held strong pressure, but a short range shot from Gutman was saved in the 52nd minute. Five minutes later, Philip Zinckernagel received a ball from Brian Gutiérrez and then played it ot Bamba who sent it into the box, but the Fire convert a promising play, as Bamba sent the ball into the box but no one managed to get a convincing shot out of it.
After that, the Fire’s offensive spark dried up and FC Cincinnati grew into the half, even as Berhalter went to his bench, putting on Maren Haile-Selassie, Djé D’Avilla and Kellyn Acosta for Oregel, Pineda, and Zinckernagel.
Just a minute after Acosta took to the pitch, Cincinnati struck again. Evander played through Jack Elliott and shot the ball at the Fire’s net from close range but from a wide angle. Brady managed to make contact but it wasn’t enough to send the ball clear, putting the visitors up 3-1 in the 71st minute.
The Fire tried to mount a comeback: In the 83rd minute, Gutman won a penalty kick when Miles Robinson took him out in the box. Two minutes later, after the penalty spot was cleared of Cincinnati players Brian Gutiérrez converted for his third goal of the season and cut the deficit in half.
In second-half stoppage time, the Fire got close when Gutiérrez played the ball to Bamba in Cincinnati’s box. Bamba’s effort, however, came off his weak foot and sailed high. That wasn’t his last action of the night, however. In the game’s closing seconds, he intentionally kicked Cincinnati’s Luca Orellano from behind. The clear red, however, was missed by the officiating crew meaning any justice for the Argentine attacker will have to come from the league midweek.
The Fire have a week to regroup before facing Nashville SC next Saturday, though smart money wouldn’t be on the Fire’s star winger making the trip to Tennessee.
