This Saturday, Chicago Fire emerged victorious against CF Montréal, sealing a 2-0 triumph during their match at Stade Saputo in Week 21 of MLS. Hugo Cuypers opened the scoring in the 13th minute, followed by Jack Elliott doubling the lead just eight minutes into the second half, effectively securing the win for Chicago Fire.
Cuypers electrified the crowd with a stunning goal at the 13-minute mark of the first half. Starting from the left, he skillfully maneuvered the ball before unleashing a powerful shot that found the bottom right corner of the net, leaving the goalkeeper with little chance.
In a key moment, Leonardo Barroso struck the post with a fierce shot just a minute prior to Cuypers’ goal, narrowly missing an opportunity to put Montréal ahead.
Jack Elliott was undoubtedly the standout player of the match, contributing significantly with a goal and three defensive clearances, proving essential in keeping CF Montréal at bay.
Also noteworthy was the performance of goalkeeper Christopher Brady, who made five critical saves, instrumental in maintaining a clean sheet for Chicago Fire.
Montréal’s head coach, Marco Donadel, deployed a 4-3-3 formation with Jonathan Sirois in goal; Joel Waterman, Fernando Álvarez, Brandan Craig, and Luca Petrasso forming the defense; while Samuel Piette, Hennadiy Hennadiyovych, and Victor Loturi operated in midfield; and Dante Sealy, Prince Osei Owusu, and Fabian Herbers took charge of the attacking front.
On the other hand, Gregg Berhalter’s team lined up in a 4-3-3 setup with Christopher Brady guarding the net; Leonardo Barroso, Jack Elliott, Samuel Rogers, and Andrew Gutman in defense; Rominigue Kouamé, Brian Gutiérrez, and Mauricio Pineda in midfield; while Maren Haile-Selassie, Hugo Cuypers, and Philip Zinckernagel led the forward line.
The match was officiated by referee Jon Freemon.
Looking ahead, Montréal will visit New England Revolution in their next fixture, while Chicago Fire will host New York Red Bulls at Soldier Field.
Substitutions for CF Montréal
15’ 1H – Samuel Piette off for Caden Clark
45’ 2H – Luca Petrasso off for Tom Pearce and Fabian Herbers off for Dawid Bugaj
64’ 2H – Hennadiy Hennadiyovych off for Giacomo Vrioni
82’ 2H – Prince Osei Owusu off for Olger Escobar
Yellow Cards for CF Montréal:
26’ 1H – Fabian Herbers (Insulting or disapproving of the referee), 11’ 2H – Tom Pearce (Unsporting behavior), 25’ 2H – Joel Waterman (Insulting or disapproving of the referee), 27’ 2H – Marco Donadel (Insulting or disapproving of the referee), 41’ 2H – Victor Loturi (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Chicago Fire
42’ 1H – Samuel Rogers off for Omar González
63’ 2H – Brian Gutiérrez off for Kellyn Perry-Acosta and Andrew Gutman off for Jonathan Dean
79’ 2H – Rominigue Kouamé off for Dje D Avilla and Philip Zinckernagel off for Jonathan Bamba
Yellow Cards for Chicago Fire:
31’ 1H – Mauricio Pineda (Holding an opponent to prevent them from advancing), 35’ 1H – Samuel Rogers (Holding an opponent to prevent them from advancing), 20’ 2H – Rominigue Kouamé (Unsporting behavior)