CHICAGO — The Chicago Fire under Gregg Berhalter are cruising.
With a 2-1 home win over the Portland Timbers, the Men in Red extended their winning run to five across all competitions – something the club has not done in a quarter century.
After a fruitful Leagues Cup first round in which the Fire won all three matches playing in a 4-3-3, it was therefore unsurprising that Berhalter opted to stick with the three-man midfield against Portland. Djé D'Avilla and Anton Salétros kept their places due to their strong form, while Robin Lod operated as a nominal #10. Sam Rogers and Maren Haile-Selassie also rotated into the eleven, replacing Joel Waterman and Puso Dithejane.
The decision to start Lod paid off almost immediately. Andrew Gutman, one day removed from the announcement of a three-year contract extension, played a great ball over the top, and Lod chased it down excellently. The Finn made a simple finish, striking the ball past James Pantemis to open the scoring early.
Things continued to get better in the 14th minute. A chaotic sequence unfolded in the attack, with several chances missed from close proximity to the goal, but it eventually fell to Djé D'Avilla, who struck it home for his first goal of the season. Haile-Selassie, with his assist, entered 8th place in the Fire's all-time regular season assist charts.
Up two goals, the Fire were able to take their foot off of the gas before the half hour mark. D'Avilla was the clear standout, excelling in a defensive midfield role that suits him far better than the double pivot position he had been tasked with in the first two games post-World Cup.
Robert Lewandowski also had a quiet night and was the first player substituted when Jonathan Bamba replaced him in the 59th minute. The center forward managed just one shot on goal, which was saved, and was otherwise not very involved in the Fire attack. Bamba, recovering from missing a few days with illness, came on for the final half-hour as he played his first minutes since a start against Santos last Sunday.
Unfortunately for Chris Brady, the Fire could not come away with a clean sheet. Finn Surman headed home with five minutes to play, cutting the Fire's lead in half, but it had no impact on the result.
The win carries the Fire into a comfortable third place in the East, surpassing the New England Revolution, with a game in hand over every other team in the conference. However, it won't get any easier as they now face four successive road games in MLS against Orlando, New York, Seattle, and Toronto.
Starting XI (4-2-3-1) – Brady (6.5); Gutman (7.5), Elliott (7), Rogers (7), Barroso (8); D'Avilla (9), Salétros (7.5); Haile-Selassie (8), Lod (7.5), Zickernagel (7.5); Lewandowski (5.5)
Substitutes – Bamba (7), Dithejane (7), Dean (NR), Pineda (NR)
