The points were shared at Soldier Field on Saturday night as the Chicago Fire drew 1-1 against NYCFC.
New York opened the scoring in the 39th minute through Gabriel Pereira, who curled a low shot into the bottom corner. Chicago fought back in the second half, though, and a deflected effort from Fabian Herbers leveled the scoring. Both teams had a chance to grab a winning goal, but in the end, the contest stayed at 1-1.
It wasn’t a terrible night for the two sides, but neither will be too happy with the final result.
Story of the match
Chicago had a penalty shout just over a minute into the contest when Chris Mueller went down in the area. VAR did check the incident, but there was ultimately not enough to point to the spot.
The away side had the best chances of the opening stages in the 11th minute. A cross picked out Andres Jasson at the back post, but his first-time effort was denied by the woodwork. The ball popped out to Keaton Parks on the edge of the box, and he went for a curler that seemed destined for the top corner. However, Spencer Richey flew across to make an impressive save.
Federico Navarro went out with an injury soon after, which could be very bad news for the Fire.
The hosts really should have gone in front midway through the first half. A woeful defensive turnover practically played Kacper Przybyłko through on goal, but he was too slow to pounce on the mistake, and he skied a shot after a few attempted dribbles.
They would rue that miss as NYCFC jumped in front a bit before the break. Chicago couldn’t clear their lines, and the ball ended up bouncing right to Gabriel Pereira on the right wing. He squared up his marker, took a touch, and curled a low shot into the bottom corner. There was a handball in the buildup, but VAR could not intervene since it wasn’t committed by the goalscorer.
Things went from bad to worse for the Fire as Jairo Torres then went down hurt. He seemed to be in real pain, and he had to be substituted off.
New York came close to doubling their advantage at the start of the second half. Matías Pellegrini nearly dribbled around an onrushing Richey, but the goalkeeper was able to get a hand on the shot to block it away.
The contest died down for a while, and the next highlight didn’t come until the 75th minute. An audacious volley from Gastón Giménez looked like it had a chance, but it flew just wide of the frame.
Chicago had their breakthrough only moments later. The ball fell to Fabian Herbers in the box, and he also went for a first-time effort. His shot deflected on target, and it flew into the back of the net past a helpless Luis Barraza.
NYCFC should have retaken the lead with ten minutes to go. Maxime Chanot was left unmarked only a few yards out from goal, but he somehow managed to head the ball way over the crossbar.
The frantic pace of the match continued as the Fire then had the ball in the back of the net. Maren Haile-Selassie pounced on a rebound from close range, but the sideline official’s flag then went up since the initial attempt was offside.
That proved to be the final marquee moment of the match, with both teams having to settle for a single point when all was said and done.
Takeaways
This may have been an all-time MLS matchup in terms of kits. Chicago wore their white jersey with red and light blue accents, while New York pulled up in bright orange. It was a wonderful sight to see.
There is a problem with the Fire’s kit, though. The central logo and the lack of a sponsor leaves a large white block on the front of the jersey, and it makes the team look a bit tinpot as a result. Hopefully they can find a sponsor sooner rather than later.
If Federico Navarro is out for a while then that’s a huge blow for Chicago. He’s a standout player, and a potential spell on the sidelines would leave a sizable hole in the midfield.
Arnaud Souquet had a rough debut. He was sloppy in possession, and he wasn’t much better defensively. He’s a good player, so he should rebound from this, but it was still a poor start to the campaign for him.
Miguel Navarro is not good enough.
The Fire may have laid an egg to start the match, but they did show some fight in the second half. They were the ones taking initiative, and on another day they could’ve snatched all three points. However, they know they’ll have to be better next time around.
It was a similar story for NYCFC, but with the performances flipped. They were improved from last week’s woeful showing, although they’re still not anywhere close to their ceiling.
Man of the match - Fabian Herbers
Goals change games, and Fabian Herbers’ strike salvaged a point for Chicago.
Coming on as a substitute before the half due to injury, Herbers was chucked into the midfield in the blink of an eye. It’s somewhere he can play, but it’s not really his most natural position.
That didn’t stop him, though. The German put in a solid shift, which is what fans have grown used to seeing from him whenever he gets a chance. The goal was a bit lucky since it went in via a deflection, but that won’t matter to him or his team.
He might not be the biggest name, but Herbers has once again proven that he’s an important player to have around.