This Wednesday, Chicago Fire faced off against Philadelphia Union in a thrilling week 18 encounter of Major League Soccer, where the visitors clinched a 1-0 victory. Bruno Damiani provided the only goal of the match by converting a penalty just 9 minutes into the first half, which ultimately secured the win for Philadelphia.
Chicago Fire had a chance to level the score in the 38th minute when Philip Zinckernagel’s shot hit the post, denying them the equalizer and leaving the home fans disappointed.
Damiani was undoubtedly the star of the match. The Philadelphia forward not only scored but also took 2 shots on target throughout the game. Another standout player was Indiana Vassilev, who managed to fire off 3 attempts at the goal for the visitors.
Chicago Fire’s coach, Gregg Berhalter, deployed a 4-3-3 formation, featuring Jeffrey Gal in goal; Leonardo Barroso, Omar González, Jack Elliott, and Andrew Gutman in defense; with Sergio Oregel, Mauricio Pineda, and Brian Gutiérrez in midfield; while Philip Zinckernagel, Hugo Cuypers, and Jonathan Bamba formed the attacking trio.
On the other side, the Philadelphia Union, led by Bradley Carnell, opted for a 4-4-2 setup, with Andrew Rick Jr. as the goalkeeper; Alejandro Bedoya, Jakob Glesnes, Olwethu Makhanya, and Kai Wagner forming the backline; and a midfield comprising Indiana Vassilev, Jeremy Rafanello, Jovan Lukic, and Benjamin Bender; with Bruno Damiani and Chris Donovan as the forwards.
The match was officiated by referee Greg Dopka.
Looking ahead, Chicago Fire will travel to face FC Cincinnati in their next match, while Philadelphia will visit Nashville SC at Geodis Park.
Substitutions for Chicago Fire
69’ 2T – Kellyn Perry-Acosta replaced Sergio Oregel, Maren Haile-Selassie took Jonathan Bamba’s place, and Markus Anderson came on for Chris Donovan.
72’ 2T – Tom Barlow replaced Hugo Cuypers.
79’ 2T – Jonathan Dean came on for Leonardo Barroso.
Yellow Card for Chicago Fire:
35’ 2T – Omar González (Reiteration of fouls).
Substitutions for Philadelphia Union
64’ 2T – Jesús Bueno replaced Benjamin Bender.
87’ 2T – Edward Davis substituted for Bruno Damiani.
Yellow Cards for Philadelphia Union:
34’ 1T – Jovan Lukic (Unsporting behavior), 4’ 2T – Jakob Glesnes (Unsporting behavior), 26’ 2T – Jesús Bueno (Unsporting behavior), 44’ 2T – Olwethu Makhanya (Delay of game), and 46’ 2T – Alejandro Bedoya (Holding an opponent to prevent advancement).