CHICAGO — The Chicago Fire have won back-to-back games and have a rhythm again in Major League Soccer. A 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps sent over 31,000 fans home happy after a meeting between two of the league's biggest stars.
Gregg Berhalter made just one change from last week's 1-0 win over Charlotte, the team's first victory in over a month. Anton Salétros was reinserted into the lineup, returning after missing three games in place of Sergio Oregel Jr. Djé D'Avilla reprised his role as a deep-lying #6 in possession.
The largely unchanged lineup handed a crucial opportunity to Designated Player winger Jonathan Bamba – a highly talented player desperately in need of a goal after a difficult summer. It arrived as early as the ninth minute, when Bamba curled the ball into the far corner from well outside the penalty box, opening the scoring for the Fire.
Although Vancouver are currently sitting atop the Western Conference – and among the odds-on favorites to win MLS Cup – it was not obvious in this game. They struggled to gain a foothold from early on, in particular without Andrés Cubas, who is yet to return from international duty with Paraguay.
Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka did not have much work to do after the goal, but that doesn't mean the Fire's chances weren't plentiful. The home team totaled 12 shots in the first half, although only three hit the target. Backup goalkeeper Josh Cohen did not have much to do in his home Fire debut, and Vancouver did not manage a shot on target in the half.
The Fire did have a chance to double the advantage. Philip Zinckernagel missed a 27th minute penalty, the biggest moment of a difficult half for the Danish winger.
He bounced back instantly in the second half, scoring in the 50th minute after a quick Fire attacking sequence. Maren Haile-Selassie was credited with the assist – his 50th goal contribution in a Fire shirt.
Vancouver did make things uncomfortable for the Fire in the 73rd minute. Mathías Laborda's fourth goal of the season was the cause, heading home from a corner. Cohen was unable to prevent what was a fairly savable shot.
The Fire introduced international duty returnees Robert Lewandowski and Puso Dithejane to regain momentum, and it worked. Lewandowski took a ball one-on-one with the goalkeeper and laid it off for Haile-Selassie to score his ninth goal of the season. The 3-1 scoreline was too much for Vancouver to overcome.
With the result, the Fire regain control of 4th place in the East. With seven games to go, they are well positioned in the Top 4 race, and could still climb higher with a largely manageable remaining schedule.
Starting XI (4-3-3) — Cohen (6.5); Barroso (8), Mbokazi (7.5), Elliott (7), Dean (6); Salétros (7), D'Avilla (8.5), Haile-Selassie (8); Bamba (8), Gómez (7), Zinckernagel (7)
Substitutes — Pineda (6.5), Dithejane (6.5), Lewandowski (7), Poreba (NR)
