Tag: Chicago Fire

The wind helped Chicago Fire FC’s Kellyn Acosta score a stunning goal from half field to beat FC Montréal

WHAT A GOAL

Chicago Fire FC topped FC Montréal with one of the most jaw-dropping goals you’ll ever see in stoppage time.

In the extra minutes of Chicago’s regular season bout with Montréal at Soldier Field, midfielder Kellyn Acosta took a last-minute prayer shot from beyond the middle of the field to try and break the 3-3 tie and get his team its first win of the year.

Well, the wind gave Acosta’s shot an assist as it floated the ball down the pitch and right into the hands of goalie Jonathan Sirois, who was unable to stop the momentum and inadvertently knocked the ball right into the goal.

Seriously, they have to give the Chicago wind an assist on this absolutely spectacular goal. It won the game for the Fire and also proved, oh yes, they really don’t call this the Windy City for nothing.

As for Montréal, well, there’s only so much you can do when the elements get involved.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=4855122]

This MLS playoff race is an absolute mess

Put on your boots, because we’re about to wade into a mess

The race for the MLS playoffs is promising that Decision Day will be as bonkers as it ever has been.

The final day of the regular season is less than a month away, with 28 of the league’s 29 teams set for two breathless rounds of simultaneous kickoffs, one for each conference (sorry D.C. United, you’re just going to have to follow along at home).

There’s an old MLS truism that a team just needs to stay in touch until late August or so, and that if said team can start to heat up around Labor Day, you’re looking at a major threat coming from what on paper is a low playoff seed. Plenty of teams with multiple MLS Cups in their trophy case have at least one season where they followed this plan to a tee.

However, in 2023 it’s not so much about getting hot at the right time as simply ending up next to an empty seat during a poorly-played game of musical chairs. Seven teams have clinched their playoff berths already, and two more are simply abysmal.

That leaves 20 teams vying for 11 postseason spots in what is an extraordinarily forgiving set-up. The problem is that almost none of this group seems able to get a solid hold on their invite to the big dance.

Put on your boots, because we’re about to wade into a mess:

Dayne St. Clair tells Xherdan Shaqiri he has no balls, promptly gets scored on

The Chicago Fire star didn’t take the bait, scoring from the spot

Dayne St. Clair and Xherdan Shaqiri had a delightfully entertaining exchange before the latter took a penalty against the former, with the Minnesota United goalkeeper telling the Chicago Fire star he has “no balls.”

The Loons took a 1-0 lead in Thursday night’s Leagues Cup match before the Fire drew a second-half penalty and were given a chance to equalize.

Shaqiri stepped up to the spot and thanks to some expert camerawork, we saw the entire exchange between the Swiss star and St. Clair.

The Minnesota shot-stopper seemed to dare Shaqiri to try a Panenka, goading him on by, erm, questioning his manhood.

Shaqiri didn’t take the bait, sending St. Clair the wrong way to equalize.

Point, Shaqiri. The Fire would go on to win 3-2.

[lawrence-related id=19021,23951,23950]

Lucas Zelarayan ends MLS Goal of the Year discussion in June

Stoppage-time winner from your own half? Stoppage-time winner from your own half

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Lucas Zelarayán may be a wizard.

The Columbus Crew star is no stranger to scoring spectacular goals but even by his standards, Saturday night’s winner at the Chicago Fire was patently absurd.

The Fire thought they’d earned a point at home when Xherdan Shaqiri scored in the 88th minute to level the match 1-1. But there would be time for Zelarayán to answer, and he did so in stunning fashion.

Goals from a player’s own half are pretty rare but to do so with a stoppage-time winner? Unheard of.

And yet, that’s exactly what Zelarayán did against the Fire, taking advantage of a turnover and blasting a shot across the pitch and over the head of Spencer Richey, who could only spin and watch the ball bounce into the net.

Let’s just shut down the MLS Goal of the Year contest right now. It’s over.

[lawrence-related id=21451,21447,21432]

New MLS stadiums: Future sites and rumors

MLS’s construction push continues apace

Over the last eight years, MLS has really upped its game in terms of stadiums.

Between new expansion teams coming into the league and existing clubs building new homes, MLS has found itself in 12 new venues over that time period. Of that group, 11 are soccer-specific, meaning the league has never had better conditions on gameday than it has right now.

If anything, MLS’s pace in terms of building stadiums has accelerated of late, with five new arenas opening since the start of 2021. That push will continue in the years to come, with projects in Miami and New York City in progress and expansion in San Diego bringing another new venue into the league.

Here are MLS’s future stadiums.

Xherdan Shaqiri is once again the highest-paid player in MLS

The Swiss star tops the list, with Lorenzo Insigne in second place

The MLS Players Association has unveiled its 2023 salary guide, releasing the salaries for every player in the league.

With a guaranteed compensation of $8.2 million, Chicago Fire winger Xherdan Shaqiri has regained his position atop the list of the league’s highest-paid players. The Swiss star is followed by Toronto FC forward Lorenzo Insigne at $7.5 million.

Shaqiri topped the list last spring, before Insigne surpassed him with a $14 million salary after joining at midseason. But the Italy international has seen his salary reduced in his second MLS season, moving him back to second place.

Though he’s the league’s highest earner, Shaqiri has put up respectable but unspectacular statistics: seven goals and 12 assists in 36 matches over two seasons while playing for one of the league’s worst teams.

Shaqiri and Insigne are followed by LA Galaxy forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández ($7.4 million), TFC forward Federico Bernardeschi ($6.3 million) and Austin FC playmaker Sebastián Driussi ($6 million) in the top five.

Among teams TFC and the Galaxy lead the way, with CF Montréal and St. Louis City at the bottom for collective spending on player salaries.

Top 10 highest-paid MLS players*

  1. Xherdan Shaqiri, Chicago Fire: $8.2 million
  2. Lorenzo Insigne, Toronto FC: $7.5 million
  3. Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, LA Galaxy: $7.4 million
  4. Federico Bernardeschi, Toronto FC: $6.3 million
  5. Sebastián Driussi, Austin FC: $6 million
  6. Héctor Herrera, Houston Dynamo: $5.3 million
  7. Douglas Costa, LA Galaxy: $4.5 million
  8. Luiz Araújo, Atlanta United: $4.5 million
  9. Christian Benteke, DC United: $4.4 million
  10. Josef Martínez, Inter Miami: $4.4 million

*All salaries in guaranteed compensation.

[lawrence-related id=19725,19452,19576]

Chicago Fire dismiss head coach Ezra Hendrickson

The club legend lasted less than a season and a half

The Chicago Fire have dismissed head coach Ezra Hendrickson after less than a season and a half in charge.

The Fire have struggled under Hendrickson, finishing in 12th place out of 14 Eastern Conference teams in 2022, and starting the 2023 campaign with a 2W-5D-3L record that has them second from the bottom.

Assistant coach Frank Klopas will move into the head coach role for the rest of the season.

“This was a difficult decision, but after careful consideration, we felt that a change was necessary at this time as we work toward our goal of advancing to the playoffs and competing for trophies,” said sporting director Georg Heitz in a club release.

“We’d like to thank Ezra and Junior [González, assistant coach] for their efforts during the past two seasons, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

This will be the third time Klopas has coached the Fire, having previously been in charge between 2011 and 2013, as well as an interim stint in 2021 after the Fire dismissed Raphaël Wicky.

The Fire have only made the postseason once (2017) in the last 11 seasons.

[lawrence-related id=12791,19073,19052]

Los mexicanos que salieron campeones en la MLS

Hacemos un recuento de los pocos mexicanos que han logrado un campeonato en la MLS

Carlos Vela puede unirse al selecto grupo de mexicanos que han logrado conquistar el título de la MLS, pues a pesar de que han sido decenas de futbolistas de origen azteca que han jugado en Estados Unidos, no todos han logrado alzar una copa.

El bombardero mexicano disputará este sábado la final de la MLS con el LAFC y podría conseguir su primer título en clubes pues el mexicano nunca ha logrado salir campeón de Liga en los equipos en los que ha jugado.

Hacemos un recuento de los pocos mexicanos que han logrado un campeonato en la MLS, pese haber tenido a grandes figuras tricolores en las filas de los equipos de Estados Unidos de todos los tiempos.

 

MLS Madness spreads nationwide as league breaks goalscoring record

MLS was, even by MLS standards, completely bonkers Saturday night

Summer in MLS can be a rough time. You’re too far away from the real pressure of making or missing the playoffs, it’s hot and humid everywhere, teams are figuring it out after transfer window moves. It can feel very much like everyone’s biding their time for September and October.

Not August 6. MLS Madness™ took hold in nearly every corner of the country, with goals galore, teams scoring and conceding in the deepest depths of stoppage time, big-name stars scoring bangers, and everyone basically went bananas. It was a perfect advertisement for the league: fun, flawed, weird, and inexplicable.

For one thing, MLS broke a league record for goals scored in one night. Across 13 games Saturday night, teams combined for 57 goals, an average of well over four per game. The old record of 46 was left in the dust.

As the league itself once said, This Stuff Kicks!

In chronological order, let’s go through one of the wildest nights in MLS history:

USMNT goalkeeper prodigy Gabriel Slonina is heading to Chelsea

One of the top young goalkeepers in the world will join the Blues in 2023

Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina has completed a transfer to Chelsea, signing a six-year contract with the Blues.

Slonina, 18, has been loaned back to the Fire for the remainder of the 2022 MLS season and will join up with Chelsea in January 2023.

Chelsea will reportedly pay a $10 million fee to Chicago up front, with the possibility of a further $5m in add-ons.

In announcing the move, the Fire said they “will retain a percentage of any future transfer fee Chelsea receives for Slonina.”

“I joined this club with ambitions of playing at the highest level and it’s been a dream come true to wear the Chicago Fire jersey,” said Slonina.

Slonina took over as the Fire’s starting goalkeeper last season at age 17, becoming the youngest goalkeeper ever to start an MLS match. He has started all 23 of the Fire’s matches this season, keeping 10 clean sheets.

At the international level, the 18-year-old committed to the U.S. earlier this summer despite a concerted effort by Poland to bring him into the fold.

Chelsea’s current incumbent in goal is Édouard Mendy, 30, who has established himself as the clear-cut starter at Stamford Bridge. Mendy’s strong play has current backup Kepa Arrizabalaga looking for a way out this summer in search of a starting role.

[lawrence-related id=5497,5485]