Jamal Thiare scored the first two goals of his MLS career to help Atlanta United to a 3-0 win against the visiting Chicago Fire on Sunday.
Giorgos Giakoumakis also scored for Atlanta (3-2-0, 9 points), which is unbeaten as the hosts this season.
The Fire (1-3-2, 5 points) had their two-game unbeaten streak snapped.
Atlanta picked up the pace and controlled the play and possession as the half progressed, putting up 15 shots, including four on target, while the Fire had four and two, respectively.
In the ninth minute, Saba Lobjanidze nearly capitalized on a turnover created by Giakoumakis, taking the ball at the top of the 18-yard box to the right edge of the goal area for an attempt, but Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady stayed with him for the stop.
Thiago Almada eyed the corner from inside the top of the box but missed wide right in the 14th minute and then missed left with a shot from distance two minutes later.
Brooks Lennon tried for a header from the goal area off a feed from Lobjanidze in the 29th minute, but his attempt went just past the left post.
Maren Haile-Selassie tried a shot from distance to get Chicago on the board in the 45th minute but goalkeeper Brad Guzan made the save.
Just moments later, Atlanta took a 1-0 lead. Giakoumakis got his right foot to direct a centering pass from Lobjanidze to direct it into the net.
The Fire started to generate more in the second half but couldn’t convert.
In the 48th minute, Kellyn Acosta couldn’t capitalize on Atlanta’s failed clearing attempt, sending his shot from above the box over the net.
In the 63rd, Hugo Cuypers tried to beat Guzan with a right foot kick from the right side, but the veteran goalkeeper got a piece of it to deflect it away.
Thiare, fresh off the bench, doubled the lead in the 65th when he received a cross from Lennon and headed it from the left side of the goal area inside the near post.
He put a rebound inside the right post from above the goal area to make it 3-0 in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time.
–Field Level Media
