Chicago Fire Lose 2-1 to Sporting Kansas City in Leagues Cup Opener

The Chicago Fire’s 2024 Leagues Cup did not get off to a positive start.

Georgios Koutsias gave the Fire the lead in the 22nd minute but Sporting Kansas City came back to win 2-1 in the first match in Leagues Cup West Group 4.

Chicago will now need a win in their second group stage match against Toluca and some help to advance to the knockout rounds of the second edition of this interleague tournament.

Both sides were going back and forth from kickoff but it was the Fire who got on the board first at Children’s Mercy Park.

Kellyn Acosta won possession for the Fire inside Kansas City’s half of the pitch in the 22nd minute and the ball eventually made its way to Brian Gutiérrez on the right side. The Homegrown forward’s cross fell perfectly to Georgios Koutsias, who slotted his effort into the net for his first goal of 2024.

It didn’t take long for Kansas City to equalize. Rémi Walter had a free kick on the left side that flew to the far post for Robert Castellanos to easily head into the Fire’s net, tying the match at one in the 39th minute.

Kansas City continued to pressure the Fire in the second half and was able to seal the victory in the 79th minute through some heroic offense.

Stephen Afrifa had the ball on the right edge of Chicago's penalty area and hit a perfect cross that a diving Willy Agada headed into the Fire’s net, sending the home crowd of over 14,000 into a frenzy.

Chicago had a handful of chances as the match wound down but were unable to find an equalizer and lost 2-1.

Match Observations

Referee Rubeil Vazquez got involved early with a questionable call in the fifth minute that forced the Fire to defend on their heels. Erik Thommy collided softly with Gastón Giménez at the edge of Chicago’s penalty in the fifth minute and earned his side a dangerous free kick from 19 yards despite very little contact between the two. Thommy took the subsequent free-kick but Spencer Richey punched his effort out of play, sparing the Fire any damage early on in Kansas City.

The crossbar spared the Fire from a deficit in the 19th minute after some fabulous ball movement from Sporting Kansas City. Dániel Sallói brought the ball down the left wing near the endline before cutting to his right and playing the ball to Willy Agada. The forward blasted the ball past Spencer Richey and off the crossbar, inches from giving SKC the lead.

Georgios Koutsias hasn’t been able to score in Major League Soccer in 2024 but he made his mark on the match in the 22nd minute. Gastón Giménez collected the ball after Kellyn Acosta created a turnover in Kansas City’s half of the pitch. The Fire’s captain played the ball to Maren Haile-Selassie five yards in front of him, who immediately hit it to Brian Gutiérrez on his right. Gutiérrez hit a perfectly weighted pass for Koutsias and the Fire’s Greek striker ripped his effort past Tim Melia to give Chicago the early lead. Gutiérrez’s feed couldn’t have been timed better as Koutsias was inches from being offside in the build-up to his finish. The goal is the fourth for Koutsias in all competitions for the Fire but his first since September 30, 2023 against RBNY.

Sallói and Agada continued to pester the Fire’s backline down the left wing and nearly tied the match in the 36th minute on the counterattack. Erik Thommy played a great pass from inside his own half of the pitch that sprung Sallói’s run down the wing and he took the ball all the way into Chicago’s penalty area. Sálloi played a centering pass to Agada, who played it first time on goal but Spencer Richey was there to swallow up the shot.

Arnaud Souquet fouled Stephen Afrifa a foot from the endline about 8 yards away from the corner flag in the 38th minute, presenting Kansas City with an advantageous set-piece opportunity. Rémi Walter swung a left-footed cross to the wide-open Robert Castellanos at the far post and the center-back had no problem heading the effort into the Fire’s net to tie the match at one with just over five minutes before halftime.

Kansas City outshot the Fire eight-four overall and had three on-target efforts to only two for Chicago before halftime.

Kansas City continued to pressure Chicago’s backline after halftime and created a few great opportunities down the right wing. Willy Agada played a great pass to Stephen Afrifa in the 52nd minute but Arnaud Souquet was there to block the effort before it could test Spencer Richey. Rémi Walter collected the loose ball after the block but missed the net entirely with his shot despite having plenty of time to line up the effort.

Afrifa’s distribution was exceptional throughout the contest and he helped spring another great chance for Kansas City in the 60th minute. Afrifa found Dániel Sallói in the middle of the pitch and the Hungarian international took a few touches before hitting a knuckleball that Spencer Richey punched out of play.

The crossbar was the Fire’s best friend in Kansas City and it helped them maintain the 1-1 scoreline in the 74th minute after a great sequence from Stephen Afrifa. The attacker got around Arnaud Souquet, brought the ball into the Fire’s penalty area, cut around Tobias Salquist, and hit his shot off the crossbar.

Afrifa came back and made sure his stamp was put on the match by serving up a gorgeous pass in the 76th minute to propel his side to a 2-1 lead. Afrifa had the ball on the edge of Chicago’s penalty area after receiving a pass from Dániel Sallói and hit a lovely ball to the far post. Willy Agada left his feet and headed the ball into the Fire’s net to give his side the lead for good with style. Agada had far too much space on the left side and his diving effort exploited that gap in the Fire’s backline.

Chicago created a great chance in the 85th minute after Kansas City struggled to clear a Fire corner kick. The half-clearance came right to Brian Gutiérrez, who cycled the ball to Omari Glasgow on his right. The Guyanan winger played a great pass to Maren Haile-Selassie but the Fire’s number seven’s shot was saved with relative ease by Tim Melia.

Chicago Fire II defender Jaylen Shannon started for the Fire and did well for 56 minutes before leaving the match with an apparent injury in the 56th minute. The defender signed a one-year deal with Chicago Fire II in the offseason after a standout college career at Western Michigan. Shannon has become a mainstay in Fire II’s backline alongside Diego Konincks at center back and is now the first Fire II player to start for the Fire in any competition since the reserve side began competing in 2022.

Fire II’s Christian Koffi also made his Fire debut in Kansas City when he replaced Tom Barlow in the 62nd minute. The French forward had 18 touches (1 in Kansas City’s penalty area), completed 8/9 passes, and had a shot in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time that flew just over the bar.

Tobias Salquist made his first start for the Fire since April 27 and played the entire match at center-back. Andrew Gutman also made his first appearance since suffering a leg injury on May 29 when he came on in the 79th minute.

Frank Klopas wanted to see crisper finishes from his side in Kansas City.

“We got the first goal and then, obviously, giving up the goal right before the half was disappointing,” said Klopas. “We adjusted some things when we came out in the second half. And we can all improve on all aspects. I think our decision-making ability in the final third to finish off plays [needs to be] better. But I think it's important to play these games and quality games, like we did tonight against good opponents. It's only gonna make us sharper and better.”

What’s On Tap Next?

The Fire will host Liga MX side Toluca at SeatGeek Stadium on August 1. The match is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on FS1, TUDN, and MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

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