BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — The Chicago Fire got the job done in game two of their Leagues Cup campaign.
Despite conceding early, the Men in Red stormed back in the final 20 minutes to earn a deserved 3-1 win at SeatGeek Stadium.
The inclusion of 16-year-old Robert Turdean was the big story coming into the game. The Fire’s 2010-born prospect only started regularly training with the second team a little over a year ago, but was thrust into the lineup against Santos after joining the first team group for the past week. Turdean was one of seven changes from the 2-0 win over Necaxa, with Viktor Radojević, Leo Barroso, and Jonathan Bamba also among those included.
It’s not usually a good thing when the game starts, and the goalkeeper become the story, but that’s what happened for the Fire. Chris Brady made an incredible save for the Fire, denying Emmanuel Echevarría in the 17th minute, and the visitors rattled the woodwork moments later with a follow-up effort. However, the USMNT goalkeeper tried to come off his line to clean up a counterattack and was left stranded, allowing Ezequiel Bullaude to score from distance.
Particularly after the goal, Santos looked like the better team. Despite some brief flashes – Joel Waterman in particular looked bright, while Turdean had some nice progressive touches – the Fire struggled to create big chances in the first half. Robert Lewandowski had a rough time, failing to get involved in the half and ultimately missing the target on what was probably the Fire’s biggest opportunity of the first 45; Carlos Acevedo came to the rescue to Santos right before halftime as well, denying a Maren Haile-Selassie header from close range.
Gregg Berhalter responded with three halftime changes; Turdean and Radojević were unsurprisingly replaced by Sergio Oregel and Andrew Gutman, who had both impressed against Necaxa. Somewhat surprisingly, Bamba was withdrawn after a decent first half, with Haile-Selassie flipped to the left wing and Philip Zinckernagel inserted on the right.
Santos started the second half as they had finished the first, which wasn’t a good sign for the Fire. However, when the visitors shifted to a back five right at the hour mark, a new wave of life was breathed into the Fire, and they enjoyed a rare, prolonged spell of possession. It came to an abrupt end on a loose ball in the 66th minute when Jack Elliott lost a routine aerial duel to Lucas de Yorio, but Gutman came to the rescue with a goal-saving tackle in the penalty box.
Shortly after, Berhalter turned to what, from the outside, would appear to be desperation mode. Not only did he drop the 4-3-3 shape for something vaguely resembling an asymmetric 4-2-3-1, with Robin Lod replacing Mauricio Pineda, but Puso Dithejane also came on for Barroso, completely changing the team’s outlook.
It worked. Dithejane’s influence on the left wing brought something completely fresh, and almost instantly, the Fire reaped the rewards. After a quick combination sequence, Zinckernagel got in behind and blasted the ball into the net.
In the 83rd minute, with all the momentum behind the Fire, Lewandowski had the clearest chance of the game. Anton Salétros dinked the ball to him, wide open and unmarked in the six-yard box, and the legendary Polish striker missed the target completely.
Lewandowski’s rough night meant the Fire needed to turn elsewhere for a hero. It turned out to be Lod. A Salétros shot was deflected by Lod and flew past Acevedo, handing the Fire a late lead.
However, Lewandowski wasn't to be outdone, and still managed to come away with a goal. Pouncing on a saved Zinckernagel shot, the Pole notched his third Chicago goal, and first in Leagues Cup. The 37-year-old demonstrated that even on a bad day, he is still capable of finding the net, and that is why he is one of the greatest strikers of his generation.
The win leaves the Fire in a great position heading into their biggest test yet of Leagues Cup – and arguably the best opponent they'll face all year. Cruz Azul are also coming off of two wins in their first two games, and will bring a huge crowd to Bridgeview on Thursday. The Fire know they likely need a win to advance.
Starting XI (4-3-3) — Brady (5); Radojević (6), Elliott (5), Waterman (7.5), Barroso (6.5); Pineda (7), Salétros (8), Turdean (7); Bamba (6.5), Lewandowski (6.5), Haile-Selassie (7)
Substitutes — Zinckernagel (9), Gutman (7.5), Oregel (8), Lod (7.5), Dithejane (8)
