The Chicago Fire once again showed signs of life the Saturday, September 2, by winning on the road against the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo to end at negative streak of four consecutive losses.
“It is a very important victory,” said Chicago Fire manager Veljko Paunovic, after the match.
“A lot of time has passed since out last victory. We were looking for a match like this, on the road, where it is more difficult, to elevate our spirit. Our work now is to maintain that motivation high,” added the Serbian.
The Fire had not won a match since August 5, when it beat the New England Revolution at Toyota Park, 4-1, and on the road since June 17, also against the Revolution, 2-1.
With a streak of six losses in their last seven games on their backs, the Montreal clash was crucial for the Fire, which took advantage of its numbers advantage after the expulsion of defender Deian Boldor in the 50th minute, after a hard tackle on Bastian Schweinsteiger.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) once again became a protagonist, this time on the side of the Fire, when referee Baldomero Toledo originally showed Boldor only a yellow card, but then changed his decision and showed the red card after looking at the field-level screen. It ended up being the key to the outcome of the match.
The winning goal was scored by the German midfielder in the 59th minute, finishing right in front of goal following a great pass from defender Matt Polster, and giving the Fire three golden points to put them back in the fight for the top spots in the Eastern Conference.
This was Schweinsteiger’s third goal in his debut season in MLS -along with his third assist- after missing the last three matched due to a knee injury.
“The red card did not sit well with Montreal,” said Schweinsteiger. “For us it was important to have control of the ball in certain moments of the match, try to be dangerous, and play different from the normal. I am happy for this victory on the road and to add three points.”
The Fire also avenged a 3-0 loss suffered in Montreal this past August 16.
This was victory number 13 for the Chicago Fire this season -third o the road-, sending them one spot up above Columbus Crew (42 points) and sitting third in the Eastern Conference with 44 points, only surpassed by leader Toronto FC (56) and New York City FC (47), while Montreal stays with 36 points, sitting in seventh place.
“It was fantastic to add the three points. It is important to understand the team worked hard. A lot of things happen during a match, but the victory is taken by the team that wants it more. Today (Saturday) we wanted it more. With 11 players, we knew what we had to do: work hard, help each other, be organized, and defend the result,” said Paunovic.
The next game for the Fire is next Saturday, September 9 at 3 PM in Toyota Park, hosting the New York Red Bulls, in a rivalry game in the East, where the Nee Yorkers, led by former Fire player Jesse Marsch, are fifth with 40 points.