CHICAGO (April 6, 2024) _– Chicago Fire FC (2-3-2, 8 points) defeated Houston Dynamo FC (3-2-1, 10 points) 2-1 on Saturday evening at Soldier Field.
Captain Xherdan Shaqiri scored his second goal of the season and Homegrown midfielder Brian Gutiérrez scored his team-leading third goal of the year to propel the Men in Red to back-to-back victories at home. The 2-1 result also marked Houston’s first loss since March 2, with Chicago snapping a three-game winning streak for the Dynamo.
Chicago opened the scoring when referee Malik Badawi pointed to the penalty spot after defender Rafael Czichos was fouled in the box during a Fire corner kick. Shaqiri coolly placed the ball into the bottom right corner from the spot, sending goalkeeper Steve Clark the wrong way to register the Fire’s fastest goal of the season in the 10th minute.
Goalkeeper Chris Brady was put to the test when Houston earned a corner kick in the 54th minute. The cross was sent into the box where Franco Escobar connected with his head but Brady was ready, diving to his right to catch the ball in the air and maintain the Fire’s advantage. Brady also made a crucial save in the 82nd minute, stopping a point-blank header from Escobar to preserve the Fire’s lead.
Houston leveled the match in the 65th minute, when Ibrahim Aliyu collected an errant pass on the edge of the 18-yard box and curled a well-placed shot into the upper right corner for his third of the season.
Coming in as a substitute in the 69th minute, Gutiérrez had several chances before scoring his third goal of the campaign in the 78th minute. From inside his own half, Shaqiri played a precise pass over the defense to Gutiérrez, who was streaking in behind. With the goalkeeper charging off his line, the Chicago native hit a first-time effort on the bounce, lobbing Clark from outside the box to score the game-winner.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago travels to the East Coast to face the New York Red Bulls for its lone road game of the month on Saturday, April 13. Kickoff at Red Bull Arena is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass. The match will also be transmitted locally via wlsam.com in English and WRTO 1200 AM in Spanish.
Social: Twitter - @chicagofire, @vamosfire (Hashtags: #CF97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook
Notes:
- The Fire’s record against Houston now stands at 9-12-8, with the Fire going 6-5-4 in matches played in Chicago.
- Chicago notched its second win of the 2024 season, both of which have occurred at Soldier Field.
- Chicago’s home record now stands at 2-1-0.
- Returning to the starting lineup, captain Xherdan Shaqiri scored his second goal of the season.
- With Shaqiri converting from the penalty spot, the Fire are tied with Seattle Sounders FC for the most penalty kick goals (three) in 2024.
- Shaqiri’s assist on Homegrown midfielder Brian Gutiérrez’s goal was his second of the season, and his 18th in a Fire shirt, as the Swiss midfielder registered his fifth career MLS match with a goal and an assist.
- Gutiérrez scored his career-high third goal in a single season.
- Defender Arnaud Souquet and midfielder Chris Mueller earned their first starts of the season.
- Mueller played in his 150th MLS regular season match and started his 106th regular season match.
- Defenders Chase Gasper (upper leg), Andrew Gutman (upper leg) and Carlos Terán (red card suspension) were unavailable for today’s match.
Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 2:1 Houston Dynamo
Goals:
CHI - Shaqiri (Penalty) (2) (WATCH) 10’
HOU - Aliyu (3) (Carrasquilla, 3) (WATCH) 65’
CHI - Gutiérrez (3) (Shaqiri, 2) (WATCH) 78’
Discipline:
HOU - Sviatchenko (Yellow Card) 44’
CHI - Czichos (Yellow Card) 68’
CHI: GK Brady, D Souquet (Dean, 70’), D Czichos, D Salquist, D Arigoni, M Haile-Selassie, M Mueller (Gutiérrez, 71’), M Shaqiri (capt.) (Navarro, 83’), M Herbers, M Acosta (Pineda, 88’), F Cuypers (Koutsias, 83’)
Subs not used: GK Richey, D Omsberg, M Giménez, F Barlow
HOU: GK Clark (capt.), D Escobar, D Bartlow (Schmitt, 84’), D Dorsey, D Sviatchenko , M Artur (Segal, 90’), M Aliyu, M Carrasquilla, M Gregus (Smith, 62’), F Bassi, F Kowalcczyk (Blessing, 84’)
Subs not used: GK Tarbell, D Steres, D Sargeant, M Sylla, M Raines
Stats Summary: CHI / HOUShots: 8 / 14
Shots on Goal: 6 / 4
Saves: 3 / 4
Passing Accuracy: 75.8% / 83.6%
Corners: 5 / 7
Fouls: 14 / 12
Offsides: 1 / 1
Possession: 40.9% / 59.1%
Attendance: 18,844
Referee: Malik Badawi
Assistant Referees: Corey Parker, Gianni Facchini
Fourth Official: Allen Chapman
VAR: Sorin Stoica
Assistant VAR: Fabio Tovar
