The last time Chicago played the Union it was one of the worst Fire performances I have ever seen in person. They got demolished and some of the people I went to the game with left after just 30 minutes. Luckily, this was a better game for Fire fans.
Both teams needed 3 points badly, especially the Union who were coming into this game with 4 straight losses in the league. A far cry from from their Supporter’s Shield performance last season. It took about 35 minutes for this game to get going and it ended with 2 late first half goals that saw each team get on the board.
The second half saw the Fire constantly generate great scoring opportunities. They only scored once but could have easily had 2-3 more goals. The Union just couldn’t seem to break through. Their best opportunities were off of long throws. They could never get in a rhythm and seemed more likely to give up a 3rd goal than find the equalizer. It was a much needed win for the Fire and a reminder of how they played last season.
Tactics
- Pretty much a preferred starting 11 for Berhalter. The only notable absence was Jack Elliot but the Fire have 3 starting quality CBs and the gap between Joel Waterman and Elliot is small.
- Andrew Gutman was only planned to go 45 minutes but he got his money’s worth and chipped in with a first half assist.
- Zinckernagel is finally back to the wing. He swapped positions with Robin Lod but we only saw 30 minutes of this before Zinck had to come off with a head injury. I would love to start with this lineup again.
- Other than the planned Gutman sub and Philip Zinckernagel concussion protocol sub, Berhalter waited until the 89th minute to make any more. Once the schedule gets heavy in the summer, he needs to start pulling the trigger earlier on these.
Stats
- xG Battle: Chicago (2.52) v Union (0.85)
- Fire: 9 Shots in the box
- Union won 69 duels vs Fire’s 58, including winning 67% of Aerial Duels (32 vs 16)
- The first win in Philly for the Fire since 2013
- Mbekezeli Mbokazi led the Fire with 15 defensive contributions and even chipped in with .24 xG. This kid is going to be a star and might not even last the entire season in Chicago.
- Hugo Cuypers is up to 4 goals in the 4 games he has played this season, 2/2 on PKs. In MLS, he is currently tied for 6th in xG, 3.64
- D’je D’Avilla (Innocent Dje) had me worried with his early YC and I was already predicting Mauricio Pineda coming on halftime but he proved me wrong with the rest of the game. He went all 90 minutes
Highlights
- I can stop thinking about this ball from Mbokazi to MHS:
- Cuypers’ hold up play: