Fire Rout Defending Champion Seattle Sounders FC, 4-1
May 14, 2017 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (May 13, 2017) - The Chicago Fire routed defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC 4-1 in front of a sellout crowd and a national television audience on Saturday at Toyota Park.Nemanja Nikolic recorded a brace while Luis Solignac and David Accam accounted for the Fire's other two goals. The four-goal output was the first for Chicago since a 5-4 win against the New York Red Bulls on May 10, 2014. Additionally, the sellout was the Fire's first since Sept. 19, 2015 against Orlando City SC.
Chicago took the lead 25 minutes into the match with a penalty kick from Nikolic. For a second-consecutive week, Nikolic won a spot kick. Accam lined up the initial attempt, but Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei blocked the shot. However, but the Fire were awarded a re-take and Nikolic capitalized with a shot to the lower right corner.
Seattle equalized 2 minutes later thanks to a left-footed shot from Clint Dempsey. The U.S. Men's National Team veteran teed up from 25 yards out and curled his shot over the outstretched arms of Fire goalkeeper Matt Lampson to make it 1-1.
The Fire's second goal came from an extensive build-up near the hour-mark. At the tail end, Drew Conner laid a pass off for Michael de Leeuw after dribbling to the end line and holding off his defender with some nifty footwork. De Leeuw navigated a give-and-go with Bastian Schweinsteiger, then played a diagonal ball backward to the center of the box where Accam was waiting for a touch and an emphatic finish. The tally was Accam's fourth of the season.
Solignac added his name to the scoreline in the 73rd minute to extend Chicago's lead to 3-1. Brandon Vincent sent a teasing cross to the near post where Nikolic was able to acrobatically redirect the ball toward Solignac at the back post. Solignac crushed the ensuing volley off a Sounders FC defender and into the net for his second goal of the campaign.
Nikolic capped the scoring with a close-range finish 3 minutes later. Center back Johan Kappelhof made a daring run through Seattle's midfield, and slid a pass to Accam near the top of the box. Accam played an unselfish pass back toward the center of the box, and Nikolic took care of the rest. The goal was Nikolic's eighth of the season, moving him into a tie with Mike Magee (2013) for most goals by a Fire player in his first 10 games with the club.
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Major League Soccer Stories from May 14, 2017
- Fire Learn as They Go with Big Win over Sounders - Chicago Fire FC
- Fire Rout Defending Champion Seattle Sounders FC, 4-1 - Chicago Fire FC
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