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MONTRÉAL, Québec — The weather was gorgeous, the pitch was immaculate, and the crowd was electric, but the Chicago Fire had to settle for a 0-0 draw on the road at CF Montréal. Neither team could take their chances, and while a goalless stalemate didn’t quite reflect the course of the match, the draw was a fair outcome.
Seeking a strong response to the four-game slump his team endured prior to the break, head coach Frank Klopas turned to a strong starting eleven, albeit one heavily impacted by the players returning international duty. Alonso Aceves slotted in for Miguel Ángel Navarro at left back, Ousmane Doumbia replaced the injured Fede Navarro in midfield, and Xherdan Shaqiri started on the bench. Brian Gutiérrez started underneath Kei Kamara, returning to Montréal for the first time since his trade prior to this season, at the top of the formation.
The opening stages were all Montréal. Within a minute of kickoff, Zachary Brault-Guillard managed to get in behind the Fire’s backline, but his ensuing chipped attempt went into the side-netting. Chris Brady was forced to make an important save 15 minutes in off of a Kwadwo Opoku header which looks very dangerous, and Montréal came even closer a few minutes later when George Campbell’s header cannoned off of the crossbar. Nonetheless, Chicago remained resilient, and despite a few more opportunities for the hosts, the score remained goalless.
Towards the end of the half, the Fire show some signs of life. Gutiérrez showed determination to progress the ball into the final third, and Kamara constantly looked for space in the final third. The best chance fell to Maren Haile-Selassie, who had a chance to cut the ball back across the penalty box in the final minute of the half, but he fired his shot just wide.
The Fire brought some of the momentum they showed at the end of the first half to the beginning of the second, and Arnaud Souquet took an optimistic attempt from distance in the 51st minute. The Frenchman made a big defensive play two minutes later, thwarting an attempted header from Opoku from just a few yards in front of Brady’s goal.
Both coaches went to their respective benches shortly before the hour mark. Shaqiri, returning from a week spent overseas with the Swiss national team in which he scored in a Euro qualifier, was introduced for Chicago, whilst ex-Fire forward Chinonso Offor was brought on for Montréal. In the 71st minute, Offor collided with his former captain, Rafa Czichos, forcing the refs to stop the play. However, the stoppage also prevented a dangerous Montréal breakaway, sending the crowd into a loud uproar.
The stadium was brought to its feet once again when Romell Quioto entered the game, marking his return from a four-month-long injury layoff. Whilst his ensuing free kick was rammed directly into the Fire’s defensive wall, his introduction injected new life into the Montréal team. Substitute Bryce Duke laid the ball on a platter from Offor inches in front of the goal, but he failed to make contact with his outstretched leg, and the chance trickled wide.
Montréal would not stop and began to pepper Brady’s goal towards the end. Offor met a header inside the six-yard box, which Brady made a huge save on to prevent a tragic ending for the Fire. Duke found himself one-on-one with Brady, and the 19-year-old made an incredible double save. He made another unbelievable block on Ariel Lassiter in the 92nd minute, preserving the clean sheet with his fourth clutch save in as many minutes.
"Overall, we got a point," Klopas said after the match. "We got four points in two matches against them. We really wanted to get the three tonight, but it keeps us alive, and we have to regroup. We know it's going to be a battle all the way to the end. There's no easy games, but the important thing is that we worked really hard to put ourselves in a spot where it really is up to us."
