Hugo Cuypers and Mauricio Pineda scored in a three-minute stretch of the second half Saturday night as the Chicago Fire earned their first road win of the season, beating Toronto FC 4-1.
Cuypers put Chicago (4-8-6, 18 points) ahead for good in the 57th minute, stealing the ball deep in Toronto’s defensive zone. He dribbled into the middle, warded off his defender and slotted a left-footed shot just inside the left corner for his team-leading sixth goal.
Pineda made it 3-1 off a beautiful service from Brian Gutierrez after another Toronto giveaway. Gutierrez laid a pass into the middle, just above the 18-foot box, and Pineda whistled a righty shot just inside the right post for his first goal of the year.
The Fire tacked on their final marker in the 89th minute via Allan Arigoni, who undressed a defender in the right side of the box and flicked a lefty shot into the left corner of the frame for his first of the season.
Lorenzo Insigne tallied Toronto’s only goal just before halftime, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the team from falling to 7-8-3, good for 24 points.
Toronto controlled most of the first half, earning a nearly two-to-one advantage in possession time. But Chicago was able to keep the ball out of the net and limit quality chances before initiating scoring in the 41st minute.
Fabian Herbers intercepted an ill-advised pass deep in Toronto’s end and crossed from the left. Maren Haile-Selassie headed it just inside the left post, going against the grain just enough to freeze goalkeeper Luka Gavran. It was the second goal this year for Haile-Selassie.
The Fire’s lead lasted three minutes. Insigne made a nice run down the left side, maneuvered to his right and fired a shot that deflected off goalie Chris Brady’s mitts, trickling over the goal line. The goal — Insigne’s fourth of the season — was originally nullified for offsides, but the call was reversed upon video review, tying the match at 1 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
