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The Chicago Fire return home to the lakefront at Soldier Field after playing their last two three games at SeatGeek Stadium. Coming into town is NYCFC, in a match with big playoff standing ramifications.
The first minute of the game and Hugo Cuypers had a through ball come right to him and past him. A great potential opportunity, slipped through the cracks. NYCFC nearly got a gift on the other side, when Brady played a sloppy ball out of the back that was nearly intercepted in the box by NYCFC. Fire dodged one.
Ten minutes in and the Fire strike. Who else, but Philip Zinckernagel, who gets a sliver of space and beats the defender and blasts one to the far end of the net. Zinck comes through again, as he has all season long. Fire take a 1-0 lead, early in this pivotal match for both teams.
After the goal the possession game was in favor of NYCFC. NYC was controlling the ball but wasn’t creating scoring chances from it. New York finally had their chance in the 34th minute, when a poorly played ball from the back by Dje went straight to a NYCFC attacker who ripped it straight at Brady, who stretches out and knocks it over the top of the goal. Fantastic reaction save by Brady, saving a goal.
Pressure begin to mount against the Fire, with NYCFC pushing forward. Nicolas Fernandez made the Fire pay. A nicely organized play from midfield where NY had numbers and a winger crossing the ball inside to Fernandez who easily finished it off and getting NYC on the board with their first goal.
Poorly defended by the Fire, to allow an open unmarked Fernandez. A goal was coming for NYCFC, you could just sense it with the pressure they had been applying to the Fire in the last 15 minutes. Gutman was the one that should have been marking Fernandez on the play.
Speaking of Gutman, he had a chance to redeem himself minutes later where he laid out a shot that just went barely wide past the far post. That was the final opportunity of the half. Game tied at halftime. Fire came out strong, but after the goal they faded back and allowed NYC to control possession, which ultimately lead to a NY goal.
Fire start the second half strong. Cuypers takes a shot on goal, but it’s saved. NY answers back with a shot, but Brady got to it. Brian Gutierrez blasts one from range but it goes wide of the goal. Both teams being more aggressive and taking more chances early in the second half.
NYCFC gets a corner, Jo Bamba goes down and through the scrum Alonso Martinez gets a hold of the ball and connects. Cuypers was standing in goal and it went past him and Brady for a NYCFC goal. It’s 2-1 NYCFC. Chicago went from being up 1-0 early in the game to trailing with 30 minutes left in the match.
Chicago had a chance to even it up on a free kick that Jack Elliott headed towards the goal, but Cuypers was a foot too far away to get to it. Every time the Fire would attempt to muster up an attempt, they were stopped by New York. Just couldn’t create space to take a quality shot.
New York finished the job, when Seymour Reid put the game away in the stoppage time with a goal that put NYCFC up 3-1 and seal the win for NYC.
Big with for NYCFC, huge blow for the Fire. This loss likely prevents them from catching NYCFC in the standings and leaves the Fire battling for the 9th and final playoff spot with the other New York team, Red Bull.
NYCFC looked to be the tougher and more determined team. Supremely organized on defense on the night. Let the game play out in their favor and pounced on the scoresheet when they needed to.
Notes:
- Center back Joel Waterman started his first match as a member of the Men in Red after returning from international duty with the Canada Men’s National Team. He becomes the 15th player to make his Fire debut in 2025.
- Philip Zinckernagel tallied his 13th goal of the season Saturday. His combined 13 goals and 13 assists in 2025 place him second in goal contributions for a Fire player in a single season. The Danish winger now trails only Nemanja Nikolić’s 28 goal contributions in 2017 as the most in one campaign.
- Defenders Leonardo Barroso (lower body) and Chase Gasper (lower body), and midfielders Rominigue Kouamé (lower body) and Chris Mueller (not due to injury) were unavailable for selection tonight.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago heads up north to face Western Conference foe Minnesota United FC. The match on Saturday, Sept. 20 is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
