ORLANDO, Fla. – It took nearly four hours, but the Chicago Fire are leaving Orlando with three points.
The Men in Red scored early, but had to endure a lengthy weather delay and sustained Orlando City pressure before eventually pulling through for a sixth successive win. It's the first such streak since 1998.
The biggest availability story emerged in the buildup to kickoff; Philip Zinckernagel missed out due to injury, despite training the day before the match. In his place, Puso Dithejane started on the right wing, hoping to build on his two-goal performance against Cruz Azul last Thursday. David Poreba also got his first league start at the heart of a 4-3-3, making his MLS debut two-and-a-half years after signing with the Fire's second team and lighting up MLS Next Pro.
Both introductions paid off immediately. Jonathan Bamba created a chance off of the left wing, and after some chaos in the penalty box, Poreba teed up Dithejane to open the scoring with just three minutes played.
It was a hot day in Central Florida – the hottest of the Fire's season so far. With 98°F (36°C) heat bearing down on the day of the match (though that had dropped somewhat by kickoff time), the climate was certainly a factor as the game struggled to catch early momentum. The slower pace enabled the visitors to maintain control, with Djé D'Avilla an essential piece at the base of the midfield three.
Orlando's biggest chance of the half came in the 30th minute. Antoine Griezmann – the club's star attraction – combined with talented young center forward Justin Ellis to create a dangerous moment, but Jack Elliott blocked the shot before it could challenge Chris Brady. A few minutes later, another Ellis shot did reach the goalkeeper, but it was well saved.
It was in the 43rd minute that everything was brought to a standstill. Lightning in the immediate vicinity of Inter.Co Stadium paused the game, though it took two minutes after visible lightning strikes in downtown Orlando (less than one mile from the stadium) for Rosendo Mendoza to halt the action. The game did not resume for nearly two hours.
When it did, the Fire might have wished it hadn't. The final moments of the first half were played out, with Orlando nearly scoring almost instantly. Instead of a full halftime, a water break-style pause was used after the 45th minute, and the second half began promptly. David Brekalo leveled things from a header just seven minutes into the second half.
With the game slipping away from the Fire, Gregg Berhalter made a triple sub at the hour mark. Maren Haile-Selassie, Robin Lod, and Viktor Radojević replaced Jonathan Bamba, David Poreba, and Andrew Gutman, shifting the team's outlook and producing more of a 4-2-3-1 with Lod in behind Lewandowski.
The team responded well to the changes. Lewandowski got in behind the defenders and was brought down in the six-yard box, winning a penalty. The legendary Polish forward buried the ensuing kick, sending Maxime Crepeau the wrong way.
Though Orlando had most of the possession after the goal, the Fire held on. The hosts had already brought on Daryl Dike, who saw an ambitious 85th-minute shot fly over the bar, and Lewandowski was withdrawn for center back Sam Rogers in the final stages as well.
Griezmann was largely kept quiet but played the full match; the French World Cup winner missed a spectacular bicycle attempt in the 90th minute.
The win keeps the Fire in 3rd in the East, matching pace with the New England Revolution, who also won on Wednesday. They'll travel to New Jersey next to face the Red Bulls on Saturday evening.
