The Chicago Fire won their second match in a row, beating Sporting Kansas City 1-0.
Fabian Herbers scored the only goal of the game in the 47th minute after pouncing on a deflected clearance. In the build-up, Brian Gutierrez laid the ball off to Jairo Torres on the left. Torres’ cross wasn’t particularly a good one but the Fire were fortunate it deflected to Herbers who struck the ball near the penalty mark.
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The first half was an even affair with both teams creating a handful of opportunities though nothing concrete to really trouble either goalkeeper. The two sides went into the break drawn at zero with the Fire perhaps feeling they should have been ahead given the numbers.
While Chicago did cede possession to Kansas City, the Fire had an xG, or expected goals, of 1.04 compared to Kansas City’s 0.22. The Fire also had more shots, six to two, and shots on goal, two to three.
The tinge of superiority was finally reflected two minutes into the second half courtesy of the Herbers goal.
Similar to the opening half, the Fire ceded the possession to Kansas City and were able to stomp out any threat from the home side. Chris Brady was called into action a few times with a shot from forward Marinos Tzionis in the 85th minute as the standout.
The rest of the SKC was snuffed out by the Fire defense with center-back Rafael Czichos having an outstanding game.
The win marked the Fire’s second straight win on the road, something significant for a team that has consistently struggled on the road in recent history. Another good sign for manager Frank Koplas and his team is the Fire have been able to see the game out considering their propensity to give up goals late in the game.
With the win, the Fire picked up another three points, giving them 23 points on the season. While it’s only good for 12th place in the Eastern Conference, it does put them only three points away from a playoff spot.
The Fire's road trip continues as they travel to Florida where they will take on Orlando City on Saturday, July 1.