Chicago Fire FC winger Philip Zinckernagel and Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter were named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 5 following Chicago’s 3-1 victory at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday. The winger’s inclusion marks the first time in Club history that at least one Fire player has appeared in five consecutive Teams of the Matchday as a starter.
Zinckernagel earned his first MLS Team of the Matchday appearance after scoring his first goal for Chicago on Saturday. The winger collected a blocked cross from Jonathan Bamba and snuck the ball through the defense to drive home the eventual game-winner. Previously, he also delivered a ball across the face of goal that forward Hugo Cuypers knocked home just 52 seconds into the match.
Berhalter is no stranger to the weekly honor, having been named Coach for the MLS Team of the Matchday on eight occasions with the Columbus Crew, most recently in Week 11 of the 2018 season. His first selection to the Team of the Matchday as head coach of Chicago comes after recording three road victories in a row for the first time since 2009. The coach’s substitutions late in the second half against Vancouver also delivered, as newcomer Rominigue Kouamé scored his first goal in MLS just minutes after checking into the match.
Here is what the MLS Team of the Matchday looks like for Matchday 5:
F: Martín Ojeda (ORL), Kelvin Yeboah (MIN), Philip Zinckernagel (CHI)
M: Evander (CIN), Emil Forsberg (RBNY), Owen Wolff (ATX), Pep Biel (CLT)
D: Walker Zimmerman (NSH), Aaron Long (LAFC), Alex Freeman (ORL)
GK: Matt Freese (NYC)
Coach: Gregg Berhalter (CHI)
Bench: Hugo Lloris (LAFC), Ian Glavinovich (PHI), Emiro Garcés (LA), Ashley Westwood (CLT), Luciano Acosta (DAL), Jonathan Pérez (NSH), Antony (POR), Saba Lobjanidze (ATL), Luis Muriel (ORL)
Chicago returns to the lakefront to face its third consecutive Canadian side, CF Montréal, on Saturday, March 29 at Soldier Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, and transmitted locally on wlsam.com (English) and Que Buena Fire via the Uforia app (Spanish).
