Chicago Fire FC Earn Third Straight Win, Defeat Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3-1 at BC Place

VANCOUVER (July 23, 2022) – Chicago Fire FC (7-10-5, 26 points) won its third straight game in league play on Saturday night, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7-10-5, 26 points) 3-1 at BC Place. With the win, the Fire are now just two points below the seventh and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference table with 12 games remaining in the regular season.

The Fire entered the away match coming out of a three-game homestand in which the Club picked up six out of nine points (2-0-1). With Saturday’s result, Chicago has now won five of its last eight games since June 18, outsourcing its opponents 11-8 during that stretch.

Designated Player Xherdan Shaqiri started the scoring for the Fire in the contest, burying his team-high fourth goal of the season in the 13th minute. The Swiss midfielder received a pass at the top of the 18-yard box from Federico Navarro and precisely curled a right-footed shot into the bottom corner to give the visitors an early lead.

After Vancouver managed to level against the run of play from striker Lucas Cavallini’s 53rd minute finish, the Fire would respond with two additional goals in the final 14 minutes of play. In the 76th minute, winger Chris Mueller served a lofted ball in the box toward team captain Rafa Czichos, who nodded home his third of the season. The finish marked the German defender’s third goal in his last four matches and his second consecutive game-winning goal. 

With the Whitecaps pushing forward in search of another equalizer, Mueller would provide the insurance goal for the Fire in the 90th minute. Receiving a pass from Shaqiri on the left side of the box, Mueller cut inside on his preferred right foot and curled a well-placed shot into the top corner to secure the victory for the Fire.

NEXT MATCH: Chicago returns home for a doubleheader on the lakefront, as the team faces Atlanta United FC on Saturday, July 30. Beginning at 4:00 p.m CT, the match will be televised on WGN-TV andCF97 Live, and transmitted locally in Spanish on TUDN 1200 AM. The Fire’s game will be followed by an NWSL match between the Chicago Red Stars and the San Diego Wave, which will kick off at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on Twitch.

Notes:

• Shaqiri tallied his fourth goal of the season, while also notching his team-leading eighth assist.
• Czichos notched his third goal of the season, which ranks tied as the second-most on the team. 
• Mueller also added his third goal of the season. The Schaumburg native has produced three goals and three assists in his first 13 games with the Fire.
• Navarro posted an assist for a second straight game.
• Saturday’s 3-1 win marked the Fire’s first-ever win in Cascadia in MLS regular season action.
• Additionally, the victory propelled Chicago to its first three-game winning streak since the 2017 season.

Box Score:
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1:3 Chicago Fire FC

Goals:
CHI - Shaqiri (4) (F. Navarro 2) 13’
VAN - Cavallini (7) (Gauld 5) 53’
CHI - Czichos (3) (Mueller 3) 76’
CHI - Mueller (3) (Shaqiri 8) 90’

Discipline:
VAN - Yellow Card, Jungwirth 84’

Chicago Fire FC: GK Slonina, D Sekulić, D Czichos ©, D Teran, D M. Navarro, M Pineda (M Herbers – 85’), M Mueller (D Bornstein – 94’), M Shaqiri, M F. Navarro, M Gutierrez (M Torres – 60’), F Duran (F Offor – 94’)

Subs not used: GK Richey, D Reynolds II, M Casas, F Rodriguez, A Bezerra

Vancouver Whitecaps FC: GK Isaac Boehmer, D Godinho (M Raposo – 73’), D Brown (D Blackmon – 46’), D Jungwirth, D Nerwinski, M Owusu, M Cubas (M Teibert – 46’), M Gressel (M Gauld – 46’), M Vite, F Cavallini (F White – 67’), F Dajome ©

Subs not used: GK Cropper, D Veselinovic, M Alexandre, F Ricketts

Stats Summary: VAN / CHI
Shots: 8 / 16
Shots on Goal: 3 / 4
Passing Accuracy: 81% / 89%
Corners: 3 / 4
Fouls: 13 / 9
Offsides: 3 / 2
Possession: 40% / 60%

Referee: Joe Dickerson
Assistant Referees: Chantal Boudreau, Jeffrey Swartzel
Fourth Official: Alain Ruch
VAR: Alejandro Mariscal, Jeremy Hanson