BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — The Chicago Fire are through to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals.
A shock 2-1 win at SeatGeek Stadium — in front of 18,567 mostly-pro-Cruz Azul supporters — was enough to ensure the Fire finished in 1st place in the table.
Gregg Berhalter rolled out his strongest available lineup, once again utilizing the 4-3-3 that has been highly effective in each of the last two wins. Jonathan Bamba missed out due to illness, so South African winger Puso Dithejane got a start on the left wing in his place. Sergio Oregel Jr. also returned to the XI after two great performances against Necaxa and Santos.
Cruz Azul’s 5-3-2, fuelled by its exciting wingbacks Omar Campos and Ángel Márquez and centered around the tempo-setting Erik Lira, allowed them to gain control early in the game. Gabriel Fernández had their first big chance five minutes in, but he whiffed on a Campos cross from point-blank range that went out for a goal kick.
On the ensuing restart, goalkeeper Chris Brady was subjected to a loud iteration of “the chant” from the overwhelmingly dominant Cruz Azul crowd. That was a sign of things to come as it would be heard during every Fire goal kick for the remainder of the match, despite repeated intercom warnings.
Brady kept the Mexican fans quiet repeatedly, though. In the ninth minute, he made an excellent save on Willer Ditta from close range; the defender was booked himself a few minutes later for a late tackle in midfield.
As the 30-minute mark approached, the Fire got a bit more of a foothold and had their best spell of the first half. Jack Elliott came close from consecutive corner kicks, but neither challenged Kevin Mier in goal.
The Fire took their guests to the interval tied 0-0, and that was quite a favorable thing for Berhalter. MLS teams have tended to grow into games in this Leagues Cup, and the Fire have been no different.
However, a Cruz Azul counterattack produced the game’s most shocking moment. La Máquina had a three-on-one situation bearing down on Brady’s goal, and as they entered the six-yard box, it appeared a simple goal. How they managed to score if difficult to explain, but Andrew Gutman arrived at the last possible moment to thwart the ball away.
A few minutes later, the Fire jumped ahead. Dithejane, who had had an excellent night on the left wing and was terrorizing Cruz Azul’s fullbacks, got on the end of the deflected cross, handing the Fire the lead. The 67th-minute goal stunned the pro-Cruz Azul crowd, and Berhalter responded by subbing off Robert Lewandowski and Philip Zinckernagel.
However, Cruz Azul remained firmly in the game, and substitute Nicolás Ibáñez showed why he’s one of Liga MX’s most feared strikers. The Argentine number nine scored to draw things level in the 81st minute, sending his team’s fans into jubilation.
It wouldn’t last, and Dithejane justified his saying in the game. The South African got on the end of a Maren Haile-Selassie ball, and scored the winning goal, much to the joy of the Fire fans behind the goal.
The win secures a quarterfinal place for the Fire. They'll face Hugo Cuypers and CF Monterrey in what promises to be a spicy quarterfinal matchup.
Starting XI (4-3-3) – Brady (8.5); Gutman (8.5), Elliott (7), Waterman (8), Dean (7); D'Avilla (8), Salétros (7.5), Oregel Jr. (8.5); Dithejane (9), Lewandowski (5), Zinckernagel (7.5)
Substitutes – Haile-Selassie (8), Lod (6.5), Pineda (6.5), Poreba (NR)
