Fabian Herbers scored early in the second half as the Chicago Fire defeated Sporting Kansas City 1-0 on Saturday night in Kansas City, Kan.
The win was Chicago’s 300th all-time victory in MLS regular-season competitions.
Chicago (5-6-8, 23 points) won its second straight road match after winning just one of its first eight this season.
Sporting Kansas City (5-10-6, 21 points) lost their second straight home match. After an abysmal start (0-7-3), SKC had climbed above the red line before a recent 0-2-1 stretch.
Kei Kamara did not score, remaining one goal behind Landon Donovan for second-most goals in MLS history.
Chicago got on the board in the 47th minute thanks to Herbers’ right-footed shot from the center of the box. Brian Gutierrez brought the ball up the center of the field before passing it to Jairo Torres on the left side. Torres’ shot was blocked by SKC keeper Kendall McIntosh, but the deflection fell at the feet of Herbers, who fired the ball into the net.
Sporting KC stepped up the pressure after Herbers’ goal but couldn’t penetrate the Chicago defense. SKC had more scoring chances, but their charges deep into Chicago territory went unrewarded.
Alan Pulido’s free kick from just outside the box in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time sailed just over the top of the goal on SKC’s final chance.
Chicago had more, and better, chances in the first half. The Fire outshot SKC 10-6, with three of their shots on target, compared to just two for Sporting. Sporting had 62 percent of the possession in the half, as Chicago seemed content relying on the occasional surge forward.
The stars were front and center for both sides, as Kamara and Gutierrez had the best chances for Chicago, while Pulido had the only good chance for Sporting.
–Field Level Media
