Chicago Fire FC (4-6-8, 20 points) defeated the Portland Timbers (5-8-6, 21 points) for the first time in Club history with a 2-1 victory on Wednesday night at Providence Park.
Striker Kei Kamara scored the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute to notch his 144th MLS regular season goal, and his fifth for the Fire in 2023, putting him just one goal shy of tying Landon Donovan for second place on the MLS all-time scoring list. Fabian Herbers scored his second goal of the season to open the scoring, with both goals being served by Homegrown midfielder Brian Gutiérrez who leads the team with seven assists. With a two-assist performance against Portland, Gutiérrez became the 10th player in MLS history to record 15 career assists before turning 21 years old. The victory elevates Chicago to 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings, just three points below the playoff line.
Chicago opened the scoring in the eighth minute when some movement on the left flank ended with the ball at the feet of Gastón Giménez. The Argentine midfielder served a ball into the left side of the box, where Gutiérrez ran onto the pass and took the ball to the endline, playing it back to the top of the six-yard box. Fabian Herbers read the play and timed his run perfectly to get a one-time shot that whipped past the goalkeeper.
Portland pulled one back in the 26th minute by way of Franck Boli but Chicago pulled ahead in the 83rd minute. Chicago won a throw-in on the left side and the ball was collected by Gutiérrez inside the box. Gutiérrez served to the far post for Kamara, who elevated for a header that bounced in front of the goal before going in and hitting the roof of the net.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago travels from the West Coast to the Midwest for a visit to Sporting KC at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 24 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. The match will be broadcast on Apple TV+, streamed in English on 890 WLS-AM, and transmitted locally in Spanish on TUDN 1200 AM.
Social: Twitter - @chicagofire, @vamosfire (Hashtags: #CF97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook
Notes:
- Forward Kei Kamara scored his second game-winning goal of the season for the Fire, increasing his season tally to five goals overall and his career tally to 144 regular season goals.
- Brian Gutiérrez lined up from the outset for a third-straight regular season match, increasing his team-leading assist total to seven after setting up Fabian Herbers’s goal in the eighth minute and Kamara’s goal in the 83rd minute. His seven assists are tied for the fifth-most in the League.
- The Argentine duo of Federico Navarro and Gastón Giménez took the field side-by-side for the fifth time this season. It is Navarro’s fifth-straight start.
- Jairo Torres and Fabian Herbers got the nod against Portland, marking Torres’s third start of the season. Herbers scored his second goal of the season and his first goal against the Portland Timbers.
- Alonso Aceves started his third match for the Fire, having lined up from the outset against FC Cincinnati on June 3 and against Nashville SC on May 6.
- Captain Rafael Czichos, Arnaud Souquet and Mauricio Pineda lined up next to each other for a second-straight match.
- Goalkeeper Chris Brady returned to the Starting XI for the first time since receiving a cut above his left eye against Toronto FC on May 31 at BMO Stadium.
- Midfielders Javier Casas Jr. (right upper arm), Chris Mueller (right upper leg), Xherdan Shaqiri (national team) and defenders Carlos Terán (right knee) and Miguel Navarro (yellow card accumulation) were unavailable for selection tonight.
Box Score:
Portland Timbers 1:2 Chicago Fire FC
Goals:
CHI - Herbers (2) (Gutiérrez 6, Giménez 1) (WATCH) 8’
POR - Boli (5) (Moreno 6, Chara 3) (WATCH) 26’
CHI - Kamara (6) (Gutiérrez 7) (WATCH) 83’
Discipline:
POR - Asprilla (Yellow Card) 56’
POR - Bravo (Yellow Card) 75’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Souquet, D Czichos (capt.), D Pineda, D Aceves (Dean, 69’), M F. Navarro, M Giménez, M Herbers (Haile-Selassie, 78’), M Torres (Koutsias, 78’), M Gutiérrez (Omsberg, 87’), F Przybyłko (Kamara, 69’)
Subs not used: GK Richey, D Burks, D Ostrem, F Rodríguez
Portland Timbers: GK Bingham, D Bravo, D Zuparic, D Miller, D McGraw, M Evander (Blanco, 72’), M Chará (capt.), M Paredes, M Asprilla (Loria, 72’), M Moreno (Fogaça, 81’), F Boli (Niezgoda, 72’)
Subs not used: GK Ivacic, D Rasmussen, D Mabiala, M Caliskan, F Gutiérrez
Stats Summary: POR / CHI
Shots: 17 / 12
Shots on Goal: 5 / 3
Saves: 1 / 3
Passing Accuracy: 77% / 83.9%
Corners: 6 / 4
Fouls: 21 / 15
Offsides: 1 / 3
Possession: 45.7% / 54.3%
Attendance: 22,548
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Assistant Referees: Chris Wattam, Kali Smith
Fourth Official: Brad Jensen
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
Asst. VAR: Mike Kampmeinert
Chicago Fire FC Head Coach Frank Klopas
On the match overall and seeing the team close out the game strongly…
“Yeah, listen, I think we talked about it in this break that second half of the season, things that we needed to focus on and things that would be in our control, that's the most important thing. More than anything, we need to, game-by-game, improve, but it all starts on the training pitch. We had an opportunity to work for the first time in a long time and work on certain phases of the game, both from the attacking standpoint and defensively.
And then look, we know it's going to be another tough stretch, and coming out here in Portland, really difficult place to play against a very good team. The guys came out, and I talked to the group beforehand. It's just, come out with energy, intensity, confidence. I think that was very important; sticking together, supporting each other, and then just leaving everything on the field. I felt it was a really, really good performance.
I think for me, even when they tied, we found a way to get that second goal. The guys came in, and if you want to win, a lot of times, it's not the guys that, really, start the game. I think the impact really made from the guys that you bring on the pitch with the subs that you make, and all the guys stepped in, and they did a great job.
But it was a total team performance tonight, massive, massive win for us, and we just have to continue. Because like I said, now we fly to Kansas, a difficult match there, and then to Orlando and then finally we can get back home with some games.”
On whether he has been working with Gastón Giménez to focus on his service in the run of play and on set pieces…
“Yeah, the thing with Gastón, when he gets the ball and we have time on the ball, we always need runs behind. I think he's an excellent passer, short-, long-range passes. Today, yeah, it's a great performance and that's the kind of Gastón that we need for our Club and for the team.
It was just massive. He played with a lot of confidence, a lot of responsibility, and you know, I mean, his ability now to make passes to kind of dictate the tempo of the game, to give the game rhythm, and then also to be more dangerous in the final third. He's got great quality to make passes.
For me, one of the things that I stressed on him is his ability now to take more responsibility in the final third, finish shots off himself. Take shots; he's got a great left foot, and I never see him taking any shots. He was massive tonight but I think as a whole, collectively as a team, we played really well and I think that's important when you get a result like this on the road. You know, you look at the performances of guys, and I can honestly tell you that everybody, we had an excellent performance, and that's what it takes.”
On what an important victory like tonight’s means to the team in the context of the season…
“I talked to the group and we stressed a lot the second half of the season, and the things that we need to focus on and the things that are in our control, and how can we improve collectively but also individually? I think that's been the key.
So you come on the road. We knew that the next three games are going to be, and we need to find points somewhere. We talked about that, when you drop points at home, now you have to go into difficult places, which is not easy in this league, and get a result.
Look, from the standpoint that, yeah, first time in club history that we won here, you know, it just tells you how difficult a place it is to come and get a result, and that's why a performance like this was needed, a total performance, which we had tonight.
And now, it's like you have to enjoy these moments, and now we just have to travel to (Kansas City) tomorrow. Regroup, see how the guys are doing, and just be excited to play the next game and see how we can improve and be even better.
Chicago Fire FC Forward Kei Kamara
On his goal and what he saw coming into the match…
“Yeah, thanks for those stats. I don't think I've ever counted some of my touches coming into a game but that's perfect, ten and scoring the goal. But going to the goal, really, a lot of credit to Guti. I enjoy whenever he has the ball to his feet, so I can make some runs or I can check to him so he can pass me the ball, so it was good.
But overall, being on the bench, that's what you do. You read the game, you watch the game, and you're supposed to come on to help and do something different than what the other person is doing.
So Kacper (Przybyłko) was doing the job that we want the striker to do, and coming on, obviously it's just to take a little bit of the load off him so I can add a little bit to the game, and that's what I was able to do. It's a good ball from Guti. But just in general, it's been a tough run. But for us to get a big win like this on the road, it's really good for us.”
On whether there are any emotions to accompany his 144th goal…
“Just a lot of pressure. Now I've got to think about getting another goal. Next week I'll be playing in front of my kids in Kansas City. But I love it. I love it. I enjoy this. I enjoy scoring goals; I can't say I don't. But when you can score goals like this one tonight, that's a huge one to give the team all three points on the road in a place like Portland. To me, that's all that matters.”
On what the victory does for the team coming out of the break to kick off the second half of the season…
“For sure it builds confidence. It helps us. We had a little bit of a break, and again, it's been rough. We've had some unlucky bounces to go against us, I would say. And you know, to kick off like this, it does give us some positive mentality to go into another game on the road, which you can say, really, even in the first half of the season, we've put up some really good performances on the road.
You know, most of the guys, the ones that have played here before, they know the crowd and the place we are playing and it was going to be tough. But usually we're the one going down at the end of the game. But today, hopefully again, this is the turnaround for all of us going forward.”
On his partnership with Brian Gutiérrez, who now has the fifth-most assists in MLS this season…
“Okay. Wow, really? My son will be happy. My son, Kendrick, loves Brian. So all he talks about is Gutiérrez, Gutiérrez. When I tell him that, he's probably celebrating the fact that he passed me the ball.
Like I said, he's a great player. When he plays in the middle of the field, he links us and finds the ball, and he knows what to do, and we enjoy doing that. We want to also give him credit for what he's doing when he does have the ball. And again, for me, I love seeing a smile on his face, being a -- I'm not going to give myself an elderly name here, but yeah, just being his teammate, so it's good.”