On Tuesday (June 30), the Chicago Fire dispatched of USL side Charlotte Independence, 3-1, in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 at Toyota Park.
Four days later, it was Saint Louis FC, the USL affiliate of the Men In Red, who bested the Charlotte outfit, and they did so with the help of three Chicago Fire loanees.
The two clubs met Saturday (Independence Day, fittingly) at Charlotte’s Ramblewood Stadium, where the Independence had lost only once in six home matches this season. The visitors took an early 1-0 lead on a sixth-minute goal by Parker Maher that was set up by defender Patrick Doody, who only 24 hours earlier was on the bench in Houston for the Fire’s 1-1 draw with the Dynamo. The helper was Doody’s second assist of the season.
The hosts pulled level in the 68th minute thanks to a strike by Daniel Jackson but were done in by 2015 Chicago Fire MLS SuperDraft selection Kingsley Bryce, who slotted home a rebound in the 89th minute to lift Saint Louis FC to the 2-1 victory.
Another Fire loanee, Alec Kann, manned the net and recorded a stellar eight saves for Saint Louis FC, which improved to 4-5-6 on the year. Kann, who has made eight starts this season for the USL side, owns a 1.00 goals against average and ranks second in the league with an .846 save percentage.
Check out the highlights of the match below, courtesy of the USL and Charlotte Independence:
