CHICAGO (April 27, 2024) – Chicago Fire FC (2-4-4, 10 points) and Atlanta United FC (3-3-3, 12 points) battled to a scoreless draw on Saturday night at Soldier Field.
With the result, the Fire recorded its second clean sheet in the last three matches, with goalkeeper Chris Brady tying his season-high with five saves as he notched his 10th career shutout for the Club. The match also saw a hometown debut for defender Andrew Gutman, who returned to the starting lineup and played 67 minutes after recovering from an injury suffered during the season opener in Philadelphia on Feb. 24.
The first half was an intense affair with Chicago getting their first look at the goal in the eighth minute. Winger Chris Mueller stayed on his feet to win the ball from a defender on the right flank, sending a low pass into the box. Forward Georgios Koutsias met the ball at the top of the six-hard-box but his shot hit the crossbar and was cleared out of danger.
With both teams still tied at zero in the 31st minute, Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady ensured that the match remained scoreless when defender Brooks Lennon whipped a ball in across the box toward goal. Midfielder Saba Lobjanidze read the pass well and connected with a header to the far post but Brady dove well, pushing the ball wide with a fingertip save.
Brady once again put his fingertips to work in the 76th minute when midfielder Thiago Almada took a free kick from the left side of the field. The ball curled around and over the wall, appearing destined for the upper right corner before Brady tipped it over the net. Nine minutes later, Almada once again created a dangerous chance, sending a cross from the right side to the far post. Second-half substitute Daniel Rios connected with a header inside the six-yard-box, but Brady had read the play and was ready with the save.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago will complete its three-game homestand against the New England Revolution on Saturday, May 4. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT at Soldier Field, and the match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass and transmitted locally via wlsam.com in English and WRTO 1200 AM in Spanish.
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- Prior to the start of the match, Goalkeeper Coach Zach Thornton was inducted into the Ring of Fire, becoming the ninth person to join the Club’s Hall of Fame. Thornton is one of three players in Club history to be a part of all six of the Fire’s major championships, while also holding most of Chicago’s goalkeeping records, including wins (109), clean sheets (57), starts (212), and wins in a single season (17).
- Head Coach Frank Klopas made four changes to the lineup that faced Real Salt Lake at Soldier Field last Saturday.
- Defender Andrew Gutman returned from injury into the starting lineup for the first time since the team’s season-opening match against the Philadelphia Union, marking the Homegrown’s first start at Soldier Field with the Club.
- Defenders Allan Arigoni and Rafael Czichos and forward Hugo Cuypers started their 10th consecutive match of the season together. Czichos is the only player to have played the full 90 minutes in the Fire’s 10 matches so far this season.
- Midfielder Brian Gutiérrez made his 97th career appearance for the Fire and is now three away from becoming the second Homegrown to play 100 matches for the Club.
- Javier Casas Jr. (lower leg), Chase Gasper (upper leg), Gastón Giménez (upper leg), Maren Haile-Selassie (lower leg) and Xherdan Shaqiri (lower leg) were unavailable for today’s match.
- Chicago’s record against Atlanta now stands at 4-8-3 in regular season play.
Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 0:0 Atlanta United FC
Discipline:
ATL – Lennon (Yellow Card) 46’
CHI – Arigoni (Yellow Card) 75’
ATL – Slisz (Yellow Card) 89’
ATL – Mosquera (Yellow Card) 90+7’
CHI: GK Brady, D Czichos, D Salquist, D Gutman (Dean, 67’), D Pineda, D Arigoni, M Herbers (capt.), M Acosta (Gutiérrez, 66’), M Mueller (Souquet, 76’), F Cuypers, M Koutsias (Barlow, 71’)
Subs not used: GK Richey, D Terán, D Omsberg
ATL: GK Guzan (capt.), D Abram, D Lennon, D Morales, D Wiley, M Slisz, M Muyumba (McCarty, 78’), M Lobjanidze, M Almada, M Wolff (Mosquera, 66’), F Giakoumakis (Rios, 66’)
Subs not used: GK Cohen, D Hernandez, D Gregersen, M Firmino, M Fortune, F Brennan
Stats Summary: CHI / ATL
Shots: 8 / 16
Shots on Goal: 0 / 5
Saves: 5 / 0
Passing Accuracy: 77.5% / 89.5%
Corners: 3 / 8
Fouls: 9 / 6
Offsides: 1 / 2
Possession: 39.5% / 60.5%
Referee: Filip Dujic
Assistant Referees: Jeffrey Swartzel, Justin Howard
Fourth Official: Brandon Stevis
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez
Assistant VAR: Robert Schaap
