Chicago Fire, NYCFC Play to 0-0 Draw at Soldier Field

It was anything but exciting yet the Chicago Fire managed to secure a share of the points over an Eastern Conference foe, playing to a 0-0 draw against NYCFC at Soldier Field.

Both sides hardly tested each other’s goalkeeper and the match lacked anything that resembled offensive fluidity. New York didn’t generate a shot on target and the Fire’s only one came in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

The match started with a whole lot of action in the middle third of the pitch as neither side wanted to take control of the ball in the early going. The Fire generated a “shot” in the 15th minute after a glancing header from Rafael Czichos but that was pretty much it for Chicago until the last minutes of the half.

Wyatt Omsberg , who started at center back for the third consecutive match, made crucial tackles in the 22nd and 25th minutes to deny NYCFC from truly testing Chris Brady. Omsberg slid in and knocked the ball away from Alonso Martinez after the Costa Rican winger made a long run with the ball into Chicago’s penalty area. The Dartmouth alum then made a crucial tackle on Hannes Wolf at the end line to prevent his cross from coming in.

Chicago had a great chance to score in the 43rd minute after Hugo Cuypers turned his defender but the Fire’s No. 9 dragged his shot well wide of the net on what ended up being their best scoring chance of the evening.

Both sides created chances in the second half but couldn’t test either goalkeeper. The Fire finally generated their only shot on target in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time but Maren Haile-Selassie’s shot went right at NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese, who made the easy save to secure the match’s 0-0 scoreline.

The draw extends the Fire’s (5-7-11, 22 points, 14th in Eastern Conference) winless streak against NYCFC to six matches going back to September 2021.

Match Observations

The Fire generated the “first” shot of the match in the 15th minute after Brian Gutiérrez won a corner kick. Kellyn Acosta’s delivery fell perfectly to Rafael Czichos in the middle of the penalty area but the ball grazed off the center back’s head and flew well wide of the net.

Wyatt Omsberg, who was making his third consecutive start at center back, had a crucial intervention in the 22nd minute to stop a NYCFC chance before it started. Alonso Martinez made a great run into Chicago’s penalty area but Omsberg slid in and knocked the ball right to goalkeeper Chris Brady, who cleared the ball away from danger. Martinez had a straight-line to goal and Omsberg timed his tackle perfectly to prevent the chance from occurring.

The visitors won a very questionable corner kick in the 25th minute and nearly created a great goal-scoring opportunity from it. Wyatt Omsberg, again, came in and tackled Hannes Wolf just at the end line but a corner kick was somehow awarded to NYCFC. The subsequent corner kick from Alonso Martinez bounced around Chicago’s penalty before Strahinja Tanasijevic completely skied the net with his right-footed effort.

The Fire had another chance from a corner kick in the 38th minute but failed to hit the target and test goalkeeper Matt Freese. Kellyn Acosta’s corner kick fell to Rafael Czichos in the penalty area and the defender turned to play the ball back to Chris Mueller just outside the 18. Mueller had plenty of space but completely skied the net with his effort, wasting a great chance to make Freese work.

New York had a great chance to take the lead in the 41st minute. Keaton Parks made a massive run down the right side and, after barely keeping the ball in at the end line, hit the ball to Santiago Rodriguez on his left. Rodriguez hit a cross toward the back post that Chris Brady left his feet and claimed, preventing the sliding Alonso Martinez from a tap-in goal. Parks had a fortunate bounce to maintain possession after a Rafael Czichos tackle attempt and New York was unlucky to not get a shot off.

Chicago should’ve taken the lead in the 43rd minute. Gastón Giménez played a wonderful ball to change fields, finding Chris Mueller on the right side. The Fire’s winger played a perfect pass to Hugo Cuypers, who cut to his right before ripping a shot across the face of goal that was dragged just wide of the far post and went out harmlessly for a goal kick.

Both sides recorded three shots in the first half without generating an on-target effort.

Chicago created a whole lot of chaos in front of NYCFC’s net after a corner kick in the 55th. The kick was taken short and Allan Arigoni ended up hitting a left-footed cross to Rafael Czichos on the opposite side of the penalty area. Czichos hit a shot that was goal-bound before being deflected away from goal and Wyatt Omsberg wasn’t able to get the ball out of his feet on the rebound chance, allowing NYCFC to get away scot-free.

Mitja Ilenič made a massive run down the right side for NYCFC in the 64th minute and nearly scored a wonderful goal to put his side up one. No Fire defenders stepped up to stop Ilenič’s run as he brought the ball from near midfield into Chicago’s penalty area. Ilenič then hit a right-footed effort that ripped off the far post and away from danger, inches away from giving the visitors the 1-0 lead.

Chicago had a nice chance from a corner kick but weren’t able to hit the target in the 69th minute. Kellyn Acosta played the ball short to Maren Haile-Selassie, who was making his 50th appearance in a Fire uniform, and the Swiss winger subsequently hit the ball to Brian Gutiérrez on his left. Gutiérrez hit a cross into the far post but Hugo Cuypers wasn’t able to turn his shot on goal, once again allowing NYCFC to get away without having to stop a shot.

The Fire created a nice half-chance in the 76th minute but, again, failed to hit the target. Brian Gutiérrez had the ball in the penalty area with some time and played the ball back to a wide-open Gastón Giménez 20 yards from goal. Giménez took his time but his effort missed high of the net, allowing Matt Freese to sit back and watch the ball fly over his head.

New York won a set piece in a dangerous area and forced Chris Brady into action in the 85th minute. Mauricio Pineda had to pull down Santiago Rodriguez to prevent a great goal-scoring chance in front of Chicago’s net. Rodriguez took the subsequent free kick and Brady played it safe, tapping the ball out of play even though it appeared to be flying wide of his net. New York appeared to score on the ensuing free kick but an offside was called in the build-up, maintaining the goalless draw.

Maren Haile-Selassie had the first shot on goal for the Fire in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time. There was chaos in front of New York’s goal before the ball found itself with Georgios Koutsias. The Fire’s Greek forward had his shot deflected perfectly to Haile-Selassie, who lined up a shot that went right into the chest of Matt Freese for his first save of the evening. It was a great chance for Haile-Selassie to score the match-winner if he had gone to either side of Freese, but he didn’t and the NYCFC goalkeeper made the easy save to secure the 0-0 draw.

Frank Klopas was content with his side’s defensive effort but didn’t like only sharing the points at home against a conference foe.

“Obviously, (we’re) a team that conceded a lot of goals and (we were) playing against a very good team. So I think the important thing for us, we talked about clean sheets and everything starts from there defensively, because we felt that we were a team that was going to create opportunities. And I think the one part with that clean sheet, we’re never happy to take a tie at home, that's for sure. I felt personally that this was a winnable game for us. I think defensively, look, we did a very good job. We were very organized, we knew what they were going to do.

“At the end of the day, they're a good team, they're gonna get their opportunities. They got some opportunities, also. I think with the ball, I think our ideas were good, but then we got to a certain moment outside of the box, 25 yards out and then our decision-making, I think, let us down, making the wrong decisions. When we needed to pass, we didn't, we passed it the wrong places. When we needed to shoot, we didn't, so I just think we could have been sharper. And I think that's the one thing I told the guys. I think there were moments there and just I think our decision-making and our ability to finish our plays, you know, was not the best tonight. And then there were moments, in order to break this team down, where the movement with the ball could have been sharper and faster, you know, that's for sure.

“But overall, we have to take the point and when you look at the East right now, it's crazy. It's everybody's at 23 points. You look at the opportunities, I'm sure all those teams are saying the same thing: how many points that we kind of gave away, could have been the difference. I think if we had been playing like this from the beginning, it would have been a different story. But the good thing is it's still in our hands, you know? All to play for, it's not going to be easy. We have difficult games ahead, but I think the thing is that we need to be up for the challenge.”

Chris Brady made a single save as he collected his second clean sheet of the season. The Fire’s 20-year-old Homegrown goalkeeper said his defensive group needed this confidence boost.

“It feels good. Thinking about it, I think it's good for the confidence of me, the confidence of my backline. Obviously, we’ve been letting in more goals than we would hope to, but a clean sheet is always good. Especially at home in front of our fans. So, it's huge for the confidence of all of us.”

What’s On Tap Next?

The Fire will be in Ohio on July 17 to take on FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM CT and will air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

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