The Chicago Fire are through to the last 16 of the U.S. Open Cup for the third straight time, once again getting past Detroit City in their first knockout game of the season. They jumped to a 2-0 lead before halftime and, despite a poor final 15 minutes, qualified for the next stage.
Given Detroit’s stature as a second division team, the Fire lined up with a rotated lineup. Viktor Radojević got his first start at left back, while Sergio Oregel and Mauricio Pineda were inserted into the midfield as starters. Puso Dithejane started on the right, with Jason Shokalook and David Poreba also getting their first starts in attack.
The Tuesday night game at Keyworth Stadium started in favor of Detroit. The home team had some of the better chances in the first half, with former U.S. Youth National Team star Kobe Hernandez-Foster finding a rhythm in the midfield. South African center forward Darren Smith came close to open the scoring, but Chris Brady tipped his shot off of the post.
Despite Detroit’s strong start, the Fire did get the breakthrough. The Fire had a free kick not far from the corner flag, and Philip Zinckernagel found Shokalook at the near post. Shokalook scored his first goal for the first team with a first-time finish.
Shokalook doubled his account and the Fire’s lead a few minutes later. Poreba was credited with the assist, marking a combination between the last two MLS Next Pro Golden Boot winners at the Open Cup level.
The Fire made two changes at the half, giving rest to Jack Elliott and Zinckernagel with victory all but secured over a vastly inferior opposition. They were replaced by Mbekezeli Mbokazi and Maren Haile-Selassie. Haile-Selassie had a positive impact, but did not add to his tally for the season after scoring the game-winner last Saturday in MLS.
Despite the Fire cruising through the half, Detroit did give them a late scare. Smith notched a goal out of nowhere in the 79th minute, bringing the game within one. Seconds later, Dithejane was sent off, meaning the Fire completed the final 10-ish minutes with a missing player. Dylan Borso was introduced for Shokalook to add more of a defensive presence.
Though Detroit finished the game well, there's not much they could have done to stop the Fire from marching onto the next round. The final whistle went, with the Men in Red emerging 2-1 victors.
The Fire will face St. Louis City or FC Tulsa in the next round at SeatGeek Stadium.
Player Ratings
Starting XI (4-3-3) – Chris Brady (6.5); Viktor Radojević (7), Jack Elliott (6.5), Joel Waterman (6.5), Jonathan Dean (6); Mauricio Pineda (6.5), Sergio Oregel Jr. (7), Philip Zinckernagel (7); Puso Dithejane (4), David Poreba (7), Jason Shokalook (7.5)
Substitutes – Mbekezeli Mbokazi (6.5), Maren Haile-Selassie (7), Robin Lod (6), Anton Salétros (6), Dylan Borso (NR)
