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Three games left for the Fire in the MLS season, two of them home games. On Saturday night they hosted Toronto FC at the “old” home of the Fire, SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL.
A unique matchup that that highlighted arguably one of the best three Fire goalkeepers ever, all in one place. The Fire’s past, Sean Johnson in goal for Toronto, versus the Fire’s present and future, Chris Brady. Not to mention, Fire Hall-of-Famer Zach Thornton, on the sidelines, as Brady’s goalkeeping coach. Kinda cool, fun stuff, at the original home of the Fire in Bridgeview.
Whenever the Fire get play at SeatGeek (this time due to the Chicago Bears game next day), a feeling of nostalgia overcomes me. It’s also a place where they seem to belong. They train outside the stadium. It’s a soccer stadium where the sounds, atmosphere, and energy are a lot more intense. The crowd is tighter packed.
Georgios Koutsias got the start up top alongside Hugo Cuypers, which is a nice formation change with two strikers. Koutsias has earned playing time and a spot in the starting XI. With the playoffs out of reach, there is no reason not to start him.
A concerning moment in the game when Justin Reynolds went down by the opposing corner after fighting for a ball. It was tough to make out what was the issue. He was holding his head and stayed down with the training staff for nearly 10 minutes. Thankfully, he walked off on his own.
The first half flew by without little action on either end. For whatever reason the game was stagnant. I expected more urgency from Toronto who are in the mix for the final playoff spot.
Unlucky Fire give up a penalty stoppage time. Toronto FC converts the pen, 1-0. As the half was nearing, Jonathan Osorio committed a dirty play. He knocked down a Fire player after a whistle. The referee gave him a deserving yellow. His teammates were not pleased either, yapping at him for a senseless foul. This is the kinda stupid play that puts your team in bad situations.
Toronto came out more attacking minded in the second half.
Substitute Chris Mueller had some nifty moves. He weaved through a few Toronto FC defenders, hoping to draw a foul. None was given, which was the right call. Makes you think how much more dangerous in the attack the Fire could have been had they had premiere dribbler that could take on defenders and create scoring chances.
Sometimes being at the right place at the right time is all you need. Jonathan Dean can attest to that when a scored on midair clip-on-the-ball goal to tie the game a 1-1.
Lorenzo Insigne hits a free kick off the post in the 93rd. Fire pressing in the final moments. Creating opportunities with scoring chances, but Toronto held off.
Toronto needed this game badly to remain in playoff contention, meanwhile the Fire are all but eliminated. Disappointing season for a Toronto FC team that was riding high into the midseason. Terrific year from Bernadeschi goes to waste. He was a human highlight this season. On the other hand, it’s safe to say that Insigne hasn’t lived up to his billing.
Notes:
- Justin Reynolds recorded his first career MLS start on Saturday night. The South Loop, Chicago, native recorded 75 minutes of action in his sixth appearance as a member of the Men in Red. At 20 years, 55 days, Reynolds is the sixth youngest player to record a start for the Fire since 2021.
- Justin Reynolds, alongside his older brother Andre, are the only Homegrown siblings to record starts as members of Chicago Fire FC.
- Jonathan Dean entered the match in the 75th minute for Reynolds, scoring his first MLS goal in the 85th minute for the Men in Red.
- With his assist, Ariel Lassiter recorded his eighth assist of the 2024 campaign, and his first as a member of the Chicago Fire.
- Chris Brady started in his single-season record 31st regular season match. With 31 games played this season, Brady tied former Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson for the third-most appearances by a netminder in a single season. Brady’s 99 saves this season are also a new single-season record for the Naperville, Ill., native.
- Kellyn Acosta tied his single-season career high in regular season games played with 32. His 32 games played with the Fire in 2024 are tied with his rookie season (2016) and his first season with LAFC (2022).
- Defenders Chase Gasper (leg), Andrew Gutman (leg) and Carlos Terán (leg) were unavailable for tonight’s match. Winger Maren Haile-Selassie was also unavailable, as he and his partner Christina are anticipating the birth of their first child.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago heads to the Queen City for a midweek encounter with Charlotte FC on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Bank of America Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass.
