Maren Haile-Selassie scored the go-ahead goal in the 87th minute as the 10-man Chicago Fire rallied for a 2-1 victory over visiting New York City FC on Saturday.
NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese misplayed a pass from the 6-yard box, allowing Haile-Salassie to deposit the loose ball into an open net.
Anton Saletros scored his first goal of the campaign for Chicago (14-8-6, 48 points) off a Haile-Selassie assist. Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady notched four saves.
Hannes Wolf scored and Agustin Ojeda recorded his 11th assist of the season for New York City. Freese had two saves for New York City (8-11-9, 33).
Chicago was reduced to 10 men when D’Avilla Dje Tah received his second yellow card in the 43rd minute. Unable to chase down a long touch, Dje Tah was dismissed when he caught James Sands’ boot with a challenge.
Earlier, NYCFC capitalized on a Dje Tah turnover at midfield to open the scoring in the 19th minute. Ojeda carried the ball to the end line and chipped a cross to Wolf, who settled it before lofting a shot beyond Brady’s reach.
Chicago pulled even in the 55th minute when Haile-Selassie’s cross from the left side of the box found Saletros, who rose above the NYCFC backline and directed a header beyond the reach of a diving Freese.
NYCFC applied pressure from the opening whistle, with Alonso Martinez’s right-footed shot forcing Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady to make a reaching save on a ball headed toward the upper left corner in the third minute.
In the 11th minute, Ojeda bounced a shot toward the lower right corner that Brady corralled.
Brady came off his line to challenge an in-swinging Nicolas Fernandez Mercau cross in the 82nd minute. Raul Gustavo beat the leaping Chicago goalkeeper to the ball, but sent his header over the crossbar.
NYCFC pushed for an equalizer in second-half stoppage time, but Luighi’s close-range header forced Brady to make a difficult save in the 92nd minute.
–Field Level Media
