Chicago Fire FC II fell 1-0 to Indy Eleven in the Third Round of the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at SeatGeek Stadium on Wednesday night.
The visitors opened the scoring in the fourth minute by way of Douglas Martinez. Former Fire player Elliott Collier sent a ball up that Martinez played to Jack Blake, who touched it right back to the space where Martinez had continued his run behind the defense. He settled the ball and took a shot from the center of the box that hit the back of the net.
Chicago pushed forward, creating several chances including in the 16th minute, when Harold Osorio sent a cross from the left side into the box toward a streaking David Tchetchao. The Beninese forward sent a header on frame, but goalkeeper Yannik Oettl was ready with the save.
The Fire didn’t relent in the second half, pushing forward and finishing the game with more than 58 percent of the possession. In the 71st minute, David Poreba hit a low, driven shot to the lower right corner but the ball took a slight enough deflection off a teammate and Oettl was able to get down to smother the shot.
Broadcasts of all matches will continue to be streamed live on usopencup.com, mlssoccer.com, and uslsoccer.com during the Rounds of 32 and 16. This unparalleled access to the tournament ensures soccer fans across the country will have access to every action-packed match – including the entrance of USL Championship and Major League Soccer sides – in the nation's oldest and most prestigious soccer competition. Additional broadcast details for the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Final will be announced in the near future.
Chicago next faces Carolina Core FC on Monday, April 22, as part of 2024 MLS NEXT Pro regular season play. Fire II is currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 1-0-3-2 record. Kickoff at SeatGeek Stadium is set for 6 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass.
Social: Twitter - @ChicagoFireFCII (Hashtags: #ChicagoFireII) | Instagram - @chicagofirefcii | Facebook
Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC II 0:1 Indy Eleven
Goals:
IND - Martínez (Blake) (WATCH) 4’
Discipline:
IND - Ofeimu (Yellow Card) 31’
IND - Schneider (Yellow Card) 67’
IND - Diz Pe (Yellow Card) 67’
CHI - Glasgow (Yellow Card) 73’
CHI - Rochester (Yellow Card) 80’
IND - Gibson (Yellow Card) 85’
Chicago Fire FC II: GK Los; D Glasgow, D Shannon, D Konincks, D Rochester; M Casas, Jr. (Oregel, Jr., 45’), M Osorio, M Poreba (capt.); F Tchetchao (Granda, 45’), F Shokalook (Nesci, 78’), F Koffi
Subs not used: GK Stechnij, D Cupps, M Calle, M Blake
Indy Eleven: GK Oettl, D Ofeimu, D Diz Pe, D J. O'Brien (E. O’Brien, 88’), D King (Stanley, 27’), M Gibson, M Mines (Ikoba, 58’), M Martínez (Williams, 58’), M Blake (Schneider, 58’), M Collier, F Wootton
Subs not used: GK Sulte, F Henderlong
Stats Summary: CHI / IND
Shots: 22 / 8
Shots on Goal: 11 / 2
Passing Accuracy: 77.2% / 70.2%
Saves: 1 / 11
Corners: 10 / 4
Fouls: 13 / 18
Offsides: 0 / 2
Possession: 58.4% / 41.6%
Referee: Peter Bernardy
Assistant Ref 1: Fermin Sanchez
Assistant Ref 2: Eric del Rosario
4th Official: Carlos Rodriguez
Chicago Fire FC Quotes
Chicago Fire FC II Head Coach Ludovic Taillandier
On what his team has learned in the past week, having given up early goals in the past two games…
“Yeah, we were speaking with the staff about trying to understand. That’s definitely something you can imagine, we spoke a lot (about) since the last game, and all that started in New York already. We definitely spoke with the players about it, but sometimes the more you speak about it, the more the problems grow. I think they were a little nervous. In the beginning, there were some players that didn’t look like themselves. And when the game started, after 10 minutes, unfortunately we were down. I think we did a good job. We could have scored, we should have scored. We told the guys that we feel that they represented the Club well. Of course, we are all disappointed, and it’s difficult even for a coach to say those words after a game like this one. Now, definitely we will watch the video, I think we’ll find a lot of positive aspects in the game.
They are a little more mature than us. They started the game better. That’s also probably what experience teaches you on the way. That the first kick is important, the first drill is important. It determines a lot the color of the game and you want to make sure that you prepare yourself the right way to start the game. We have young players. I will say we also have to be patient with them, to teach them those things. And those games are teaching them those things, that you cannot wait to be on the ground to get up. You need to attack first. That was the message. Unfortunately that cost us the game, those first 10 minutes.”
On the importance of the experience of playing games in knockout competitions for his players, going forward…
“Well, it’s huge. It’s huge because it’s a very different game than the ones we have in the league. We have a few games in the league against mature players also but most of the games, the teams are a little younger. And for us, it’s additional exposure for our players. It was fantastic. When we learned that we would do the Open Cup, it was a really great feeling for us, for the players, to have to compete against men, to make it simple. There was always this discussion everywhere in the world, how do you train those teenagers? Playing against great teenagers or playing against men. And I think that was definitely that little plus in terms of what we could offer to the players, this experience to play against men. More mature, more experienced, a little maybe smarter also, a little smarter in the key moments. That’s definitely a great experience for us, this Open Cup.”
On how prepared the team was to play against more mature players and how the team handled it, despite the defeat…
“We told the players that we are proud. We are proud of the biggest part of the game. Of course there is a little part that we need to address. We responded well if you take away the first 10 minutes. Unfortunately, that made the decision today, but the last 80 minutes, I felt we competed well. We created chances. Again, it would have been great for the players to get maybe a little bit of a reward in the end and score, maybe, a goal. We had a few opportunities, and I thought even in the fight, the players were fighting at the maximum of their capacities. I felt our players competed 110% and we are very proud of that.”
Chicago Fire FC II Midfielder David Poreba
On how the team can build on the last two matches...
“It's something we definitely talked about, especially after our last game in New York. I mean, we went down, as you guys know, 4-0 In the first half. But we showed in that game a really good mentality to tie the game back up. This game, you know, unfortunately it happened again, and to be honest, that's probably why we lost the game. That can't happen, especially against more experienced players. That was probably the difference in this one. So yeah, it's unfortunate. It's something we need to fix. But you know, going into our next home games, you know, that's going to be our goal is for that not to happen again.”
On the importance of tournament experience for future postseason runs...
“Very important. I mean, obviously, we beat Chicago City in the first round, and then Forward Madison in the second, a League One team. I think we've played really well in both games and I think we played, honestly, for the majority of the game, we played really well today. I think we dominated most of the game, we created a lot of chances. But like I said, I mean, in these types of games, sometimes all it takes is one mistake for you to lose, and that's what happened unfortunately.”
On how well the team is prepared for handling the physical demand of the MLS NEXT Pro schedule in addition to Open Cup games...
“I don't think it's a problem at all. I think, you know, from our preseason, we were prepared very well. And I don't think there's been any problem with fatigue or anything. I mean, at the end of the day, that's our job. If we have to play three games in seven days, you know, that's our job. We have to do it. But I think, like I said, we looked good again today. So definitely not a problem.”