Atlanta, GA
Chicago Fire FC Plays Atlanta United FC to 0-0 Draw at Soldier Field | Chicago Fire FC
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.
Social: Twitter – @chicagofire, @vamosfire (Hashtags: #CF97 #VamosFire) | Instagram – @chicagofire | Facebook
- 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
Atlanta, GA
Braves News: Season reviews, Rickey Henderson, hot stove, more
The offseason continues to move on as the Braves stay quiet for now. Today was the flurry of first base movement, which fortunately didn’t impact the Braves, who have no opening at first base or designated hitter. It is hard not to get antsy watching players move all over the place in the offseason where the Braves opened up a bunch of money to do something but have yet to do anything of note. I do maintain that something (probably multiple things) of note will happen, but it is frustrating to see options dwindle and players move. All of that said, my preference coming into the offseason was signing Ha-Seong Kim, a viable starter, and a viable outfielder. I have begun to suspect that a trade is going to be the pathway to at least one of those holes and Kim is still out there. Time will tell and all we can do is try to remain patient. Plenty of time remains before Spring Training and the season begin.
Braves News
Demetrius reviewed Austin Riley’s rollercoaster of a 2024 season, that featured underperformance, quality production, and injury at various times.
Gaurav took a look at prospect Mitch Farris’ impressive 2024 season, as the 13th round pick of the Braves’ 2023 draft.
MLB News
Baseball icon and Hall-of-Famer Rickey Henderson died of pneumonia on Saturday at the age of 65.
Cleveland traded first baseman Josh Naylor to the D-Backs for pitcher Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance round B pick.
The Guardians signed Carlos Santana, just after dumping a different first baseman in Naylor to Arizona.
Negotiations between the Dodgers and Teoscar Hernandez do not appear to be moving and the Dodgers are reportedly looking into alternatives.
The Yankees signed former MVP Paul Goldschmidt to a one year deal worth $12.5 million to fill their hole at first base.
Atlanta, GA
Man shot, robbed in Atlanta on his way to work says he still has nightmares about it
ATLANTA – FOX 5 Atlanta heard from the man who was shot when robbers took his electric bike and backpack. It happened early Monday morning near Hiawassee Drive in Southwest Atlanta, and police say the suspects haven’t been caught.
“I have nightmares and stuff like that. I can’t sleep,” Renard Sullivan said.
Sullivan said he is still trying to figure out how to move forward after he was shot and robbed while heading to work.
“All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the car came up behind me just saying, ‘Stop. Give me everything you want,’” Sullivan explained.
Just before 6 a.m. Monday morning, two masked men in a sedan approached Sullivan and took his electric bike and backpack, according to Atlanta police. Afterward, Sullivan said one of the men shot him in his leg.
“It’s like I looked down, and I got shot. Then, I called 911,” he explained.
Sullivan said the route he took on Monday was a common way for him to get to work, and he doesn’t know who could be behind this.
“I don’t mess with nobody. I just go and do what I got to do. Work, you know what I’m saying? Do a little work out there at the gas station,” he said.
Sullivan’s siblings said the electric bike was his main form of transportation. This was also not the first time something like this has happened to him. Sullivan said someone tried to take his e-bike from him a few months ago before his son intervened.
Atlanta police have not yet named any suspects nor have they announced arrests in Sullivan’s case. He said he wants the men who did this behind bars.
“Get them off the street, so they don’t do it to nobody else,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan’s family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help him get back on his feet.
The Source: FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Kim Leoffler spoke to Renard Sullivan for this article which follows up on a previous FOX 5 Atlanta report.
Atlanta, GA
How to Watch Michael Penix Jr.’s First Start in Falcons vs. Giants
The future is now for the Atlanta Falcons (7-7), who will start first-round rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. under center in Sunday’s game against the New York Giants (2-12).
Atlanta benched veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins on Tuesday evening, citing turnovers and decision making. So, in steps Penix, the No. 8 overall pick in April’s draft who’s played in two games — both blowout loss — and gone 3-for-5 passing for 38 yards. Cousins will be the team’s backup.
“We’ve been digging as much as we can in order to make things work and try to get things going,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday. “We wanted to play better at quarterback, and we felt like we got a chance to play a little bit better.
“And if we can go out there and play better at quarterback, who knows what can happen?”
The Falcons are one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South lead with three games remaining, and Atlanta owns the tiebreaker. The Giants, meanwhile, are trudging through a dismal season and will be starting Drew Lock at quarterback with hopes of snapping a nine-game losing streak.
Here’s what to know before the Falcons face the Giants at 1 p.m. Sunday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The game will be broadcast live on FOX, with Kevin Kugler handling play-by-play duties alongside analyst Daryl Johnston. Laura Okmin will be the sideline reporter.
On the radio, Wes Durham and Dave Archer will have the call on 92.9TheGame.
The Falcons ruled out rookie receiver Casey Washington due to a concussion, marking the third consecutive game he’s missed. Receiver KhaDarel Hodge (ribs) and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter (groin) are questionable.
New York will be without three players: linebacker Patrick Johnson (knee), linebacker Bobby Okereke (back) and offensive lineman Aaron Stinnie (concussion). Cornerback Greg Stroman (shoulder/shin) is doubtful and did not practice this week.
The Giants have players questionable, headlined by outside linebacker Brian Burns (ankle/neck), who didn’t practice Wednesday and Thursday and was limited Friday. The other four are Deonte Banks (ribs), running back Tyrone Tracy (ankle) and a pair of week-long full participants in offensive lineman Austin Schlottmann (fibula) and inside linebacker Dyontae Johnson (ankle).
The Falcons are 8.5-point favorites and have a 63.4% chance of victory, according to ESPN, which puts the over/under at 42.5 points. Atlanta’s money line is set at -450.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
The Falcons lead the all-time series 14-12 and have won each of the past three meetings. Atlanta has won four of the last five games dating back to the 2012 regular season, a span that followed New York winning four consecutive contests from 2006 through the 2011 postseason.
The two teams last played in Week 3 of the 2021 season, during which the Falcons won 20-17 on a last-second field goal by kicker Younghoe Koo.
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