Preseason

Chicago Fire FC defeat Philadelphia Union 1-0 for second straight preseason win

preseason philly guti

CLEARWATER, FLA. - Chicago Fire FC picked up its second win in as many preseason matches on Saturday, defeating reigning Supporters' Shield winners Philadelphia Union 1-0 at Joe Dimaggio Sports Complex. 


The two sides played to a scoreless draw through the first 90 minutes before Fire homegrown Javier Casas Jr. delivered the winning goal 10 minutes into an extra 25-minute period the clubs agreed to play prior to the start of the match. 

Przemysław Frankowski provided the assist by gathering a loose ball just outside the box and finding the Casas run for a cool finish past the Philadelphia 'keeper.


Early on in the match, Bobby Shuttleworth came up clutch with a pair of impressive reaction saves to keep the Union scoreless at the half.

The match saw both Álvaro Medrán and Miguel Navarro make their first appearances of the preseason after joining up with the team in Florida last week. Captain Francisco Calvo played the longest out of the Fire's starters, going 76 minutes before being replaced by Nicholas Slonina. Calvo will next depart for international duty with Costa Rica for a pair of friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mexico.


The Fire will next take on FC Cincinnati in a preseason friendly on March 27 in Orlando. The match is scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. CT kickoff and will be streamed live for Chicago area fans on ChicagoFireFC.com.


Chicago Fire FC Starting XI: Shuttleworth, Sekulić, Terán, Calvo, Bornstein, Giménez, Kappelhof, Collier, Aliseda, Gutiérrez, Berić