It was a historic night at Bridgeview on Tuesday as the Chicago Fire beat St. Louis CITY SC 2-1 in the first-ever meeting between the two sides to book their place in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Chicago took the lead after just two-and-a-half minutes. A long ball bounced over the opposing backline, and it fell right into the path of Maren Haile-Selassie. It seemed like the angle was too tight, but he had a bit of luck on his side as his strike deflected off a defender before looping over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
“We started the game very well, and that set the tone for the full 90 minutes,” said Chicago defender Wyatt Omsberg. “Our start was very important, and we won a lot of first and second balls to set the tone.
They continued to control proceedings early on, but St. Louis started to grow into the game. They really should have tied things up in the 15th minute when Jared Stroud was left unmarked on a corner, but he scuffed his first-time attempt from close range.
Maren Haile-Selassie.
— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) May 10, 2023
That’s it. That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/AAkoIx33G7
The contest ebbed-and-flowed until the end of the first half, and that pattern continued to start the second. A big chance came as Miguel Navarro broke free on the counter, but his attempt was hit too close to the goalkeeper.
St. Louis then had their best opportunity soon after. Célio Pompeu danced into the area, and he set himself up for a superb shooting opportunity. However, he was denied by Mauricio Pineda, who heroically got across to make the block.
The next goal finally came with 15 minutes to go, and it was scored by the hosts. Goalkeeper Ben Lundt lost control of the ball at his feet, which allowed Brian Gutiérrez to poke it to Fabian Herbers. From there it was all too easy, as the German converted from close range to double his side’s lead.
how bout that ???? pic.twitter.com/nl5aYjl6gz
— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) May 10, 2023
“It was kind of a messy ball in,” said midfielder Fabian Herbers. “They played it under pressure to their goalkeeper, who took a bit of a longer touch. Guti was able to steal it and pass it to me, and I didn’t have too much work left to do, just pass it into the empty net.”
St. Louis tried to respond, and they even pulled a goal back through Miguel Perez in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough. Chicago held on to secure the win, booking their spot in the next round of the competition as a result.
“The team played great today. There was a team spirit, they fought to the end, we grew stronger toward the end, and we found a way,” said head coach Frank Klopas, who scored the golden goal in the 1998 US Open Cup Final for the Chicago Fire. “So, this was a really difficult match. We came out ahead and we’re not going to expect any of the other ones to be any easier.”
“We didn’t play super pretty today, but we put in the work and showed the fans what the team is about and that we still have a little fire left in us,” said Herbers.
The contest was also the first match for interim-head coach Frank Klopas, who returned to take over the team following Ezra Hendrickson’s firing on Monday morning.
“It was difficult because when you’re in this business, you know, I’ve been there on the other side, so I know what it feels like,” said Klopas, who will patrol the sidelines for the Fire for the third time. “And for me, the only thing that I really focused on was being very clear with certain things to the team. Give them confidence, give them belief, and let them come out and show that on the field. And the most important thing was just to compete and leave everything on the field.”
“Frank is super passionate. He loves the club, he wants the best for the club. It was more about his motivation and less about his tactics,” said Herbers. “It was about our fight, and I think he did a good job transmitting his passion.”
“In some ways it was kind of nice to just be like ‘alright we’ve got a game, let’s just turn the page and focus on the game,’” said Omsberg. “I think all the players at the club are so comfortable with Frank and the rest of the staff that we know we’ll be in safe hands.”
Chicago has often stated how much they care about the Open Cup, and they proved it tonight by naming a first-choice starting lineup for the contest. It was enough to earn a spot in the Round of 16, and now everyone at the club has their eyes set on continuing their run in the tournament.
“We’ve always put, as a club, a big emphasis on the Open Cup. You know, I talked to the team a little tactically but I also had the video team put together a little video for the players to understand what this means to us,” said Klopas. “I told the guys the journey has started already, this is the second game. I said, ‘Hey, let’s make history and lift one cup together.’”
