Robert Beric gave Chicago the lead in the 72nd minute with his first goal since opening weekend, and the Fire defeated Orlando City 3-1 on Wednesday night for their second straight victory.
Boris Sekulic added his second goal of the season on a header in first-half stoppage time as the Fire strung together their first consecutive wins of 2021.
Alvaro Medran assisted each of those goals for his fourth and fifth of the season, all in the last three games, and substitute Chinoso Offor added insurance late insurance after a give-and-go with Przemyslaw Frankowski.
Andres Perea scored early for Orlando, which began with club scoring leader Nani and assists co-leader Mauricio Pereyra on the bench.
Oscar Pareja inserted both men in the 76th minute, but neither could create a moment to save the Lions from their first back-to-back defeats of the season.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: It's worth remembering that Beric is off to a slow start for a second consecutive season. He also only scored twice in his first 10 games of the 2020 campaign, yet finished the shortened season in a three-way tie for second in the MLS Golden Boot race with 12 goals.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Once Nani and Pereyra came on, it felt like Orlando could find a late leveler at any moment. Instead, Offor and Frankowski combined in the dying moments on a wonderful counterattack goal that truly sealed a deserved three points for the hosts.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Alvaro Medran. The Spaniard is among the hottest players in MLS at the moment. His five in three matches are two more than he registered in all of 2020. If he continues at half this level of production, Chicago very well might be a club making a second-half playoff charge.
Up Next
- CHI: Saturday, July 17 at Nashville SC (8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US and DAZN in Canada)
- ORL: Saturday, July 17 at Toronto FC (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US and DAZN in Canada)
