It took a long time, and it certainly didn’t come easy, but the Chicago Fire FC have their first home victory of the season. And with that, a 2-1 decision over Atlanta United the first home win of the Gregg Berhalter era.
Hugo Cuypers opened the scoring from the spot in the 14′, and this penalty kick conversion gave him sole possession of the scoring lead, in all of Major League Soccer.
As the first half went on, the Fire missed some really good scoring chances that could have changed the complexion of the match, and potentially killed it off.
Fire No. 1 goalkeeper Chris Brady was suspended for this match, so Jeff Gal made his first MLS start today. He played well, as did his defense. That’s been the Fire’s calling card this season- keeping their opponents out of goal.
With the obvious exception being the 7-2 disaster class showing against Nashville SC.
This is a factor to consider when you’re doing 2025 MLS Cup betting at places like UFABET. The Fire are currently only in the play-in positioning for the playoffs, holding the #9 slot in the table. They need to move up to 7 or higher in order to get a real postseason berth. As such, they are nowhere near the group of favorites to win MLS Cup. However, they do have some potential to go on a deep run in the postseason if they can keep their opponents out of goal.
That has been a trend for them this season.
They are the only team to register a clean sheet against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF, in MLS play, this season. “It’s definitely something we worked on in training, but I felt prepared,” Brady said to RG.org, after the goalless draw with Miami.
“The guys on the wall felt prepared, and you’ve got to be ready for anything.”
That being “ready for anything” came in the 80′ when Sam Rogers scored an own goal and equalized the match.
“It’s completely normal for the opponent to get an advantage in the game,” Berhalter said in his post match presser.
“You know, it’s very hard to dominate an opponent for 90 minutes straight, but I think in those moments when the opponent is
dominating, we need to use the counter attack much more efficiently, because they open themselves up, they’re moving to high press, and that’s where I think we can get behind them and create more opportunities and then put the game away at that stage.”
The 1-1 score made Fire supporters extremely nervous in the closing minutes, but then Rominique Kouame scored the go-ahead in the 86′.
However, there was still plenty of anxiety in the closing minutes, as Atlanta came lose to tying it again a couple of times in the final stages; hitting the left post. Rogers then came up with a critical clearance, getting some redemption back for his major gaffe earlier.
“It was very nice, actually, to be able to go on the field and be very concentrated,” Kouame said on his mentality leading up until that game winning goal.
“Everyone was very focused. So to be able to go and score that game-winning goal was great, but it really was a collective group victory.”
Cuypers expressed joy and relief for ending the home win drought.
“I’ve been waiting for it a long time,” he told the assembled media in the locker room, postgame.
“I think we got what we deserve tonight, or this afternoon. It’s been a tough couple weeks.
“I think one or two bad performances, one or two performances where we were unlucky. Luckily today it fell on our side.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.