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MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire Post 3-1 Win over LAFC at Toyota Park

September 29, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - Playing a third league match in seven days, the Chicago Fire (8-16-7, 31 points) defeated Los Angeles Football Club (14-8-8, 50 points) 3-1, before a nationally televised broadcast on Univision Deportes, at Toyota Park on Saturday afternoon. Three different players scored in the win for the Fire, with midfielders Djorde Mihailovic and Aleksandar Katai and forward Nemanja Nikolic each finding the back of the net.

The Fire opened scoring in the 20th minute when defender Brandon Vincent recovered the ball deep on the left flank and sent a looping cross into the box, finding Mihailovic just inside the penalty area. Latching onto Vincent's cross, the Homegrown midfielder blasted his full volley into the back of the net for his first goal of the season (VIDEO).

Just nine minutes later, Nikolic doubled the lead for the Fire after midfielder Brandt Bronico was taken down in the box in the 29th minute. Nikolic stepped up and sent his ensuing spot kick just inside the right post (VIDEO).

Shortly after entering the match, Katai finished the team's third and final goal of the game after starting a counter attack from inside the Fire's half. With Nikolic redirecting Katai's pass in behind the defense to Mihailovic, the midfielder was able to run at the LAFC defense, before pulling the ball back toward the edge of the 18-yard box for Katai, who comfortably placed the ball between goalkeeper Tyler Miller's legs and into the back of the net (VIDEO).

Diego Rossi provided a goal for the visitors when he struck a powerful effort from a difficult angle in the 73rd minute of play (VIDEO).

Next up, the Fire will travel to take on D.C. United at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, Sept. Oct. 7 at noon CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and locally on Univision Radio WRTO AM 1200.

Veljko Paunovic - Head Coach, Chicago Fire

On the team's performance:

"People can say whatever they want about us, and also about me as a coach. But one thing we showed today is professionalism. We showed that we are out of the playoffs but we played until the end with every team in the league. With contenders like today. The teams that already clinch playoffs and the teams that still have to fight for it. I think it's very important to understand that today we were the team that didn't give up on the season. We respected our opponent. We respected our opponents around the league also because we performed. I think this is very important to know and this for me is the most important thing when you go outside and see the team like this, like us. The whole season was difficult for us and now we are out of the playoffs and then you go step on the field and you still play until the end and you give your best and you want to win. I think that's something to be respected and everything else I think was just a great performance from our guys. This locker room is still alive and this locker room has great, great people inside. Great competitors who want to give their best and that's all we ask."

On the team's form this season:

"I think that we always gave our best. Sometimes you meet the demands of the opponents and sometimes they're just better than you. Today, perhaps, Rossi's goal, beautiful goal. We all love to see that and you just have to take your hat off and say 'congrats.' You give your best and they put more and that's it. I think that there's no hard feelings on the season in terms of our guys always trying to deliver and everyone here in this environment will want to always give our best and that's the best we can do at this point. We have to learn from the past and we have to, like we said always, we have to get better and I put myself first and that's so far the recap of our season. But we will definitely next week play the same way like we played today. We are not going to give anyone points. We're not going to give up. We want to be professional and we want to be the team that is recognized by good values and giving our best all the time until the end."

On what he wants to see in the remaining three games:

"I think I definitely want to see the drive to win. The respect for our profession in terms of not only as a job, this is our life. So we all know in this locker room you have guys who had surgery this year. Guys who are coming back from their injuries. Guys who left their families. You have guys who are having a difficult time. You even have guys who are giving their best in every session in the adverse circumstances we had. That's what you have to value when you step on the field. If you give up on that, you give up on yourself and I just want our guys to be aware of that, which they are. They showed that today and we will definitely encourage everyone to give their best until the end."

On the performances of Djordje Mihailovic and Stefan Cleveland:

"I think a team is always highlighted by the work of the individuals but as a team. The golazos, the great saves, great interceptions of the ball, stealing the ball, teamwork. It's always going to come as a consequence of the work as a team, teamwork. A lot of times those consequences could be the save by a goalkeeper but also to be able to stop the ball, there was a player who defended, pushed the rival a bit, didn't let a shot go off, and pressured. All of that adds up. All of that adds up so that at the end, one can defend well or on the other hand, when someone makes a good play, good connection, interprets the play, looks, intercepts, makes a pass no one sees, or an adequate decision, all this is teamwork. What we see at the end is the one who executes the decisive play but before that a lot happens in soccer that is a product of the team. That is what will always be, for me, the most important thing."

On the impact of Djordje Mihailovic:

"He's growing. He's growing and I'm very happy for him. The other day Michael [de Leeuw] scored a goal and we spoke about him so I think that's a great reward for him today, for Djordje. Scoring a goal, having a great performance. He's growing, he still needs to learn and we will always encourage him. We will always push him to go forward but we want him also to be with his feet on the ground. He's young and it happens that the people start to think that after one game they have the world. Which they will have but just be respectful for everyone. For the club, for his teammates, and I think he's doing that great and we just have to remind ourselves who we are and what we have to do in order to become the best we can be. In the case of Djordje, I think he's doing very good in understanding that. He knows what is his role on and off the field, in the locker room, and he knows how to deal and respect the older players in the locker room and also more veteran players who have more experience. It's very important that he learns from them. In the meantime he's giving them support with his qualities and what he puts on the field in every game."

On the team's collective defensive effort:

"I think we did a good job defensively and in the moments where we had the result we were a little bit tired and then we had to switch our formation, make some changes in order to protect the result. Be more dense in the midfield and more compact in between the lines. Which nobody likes to see but we compete and we want to always, when we have the result and chance to win, we will try to execute what is needed and that was the case today. Happy with the defensive performance but also happy that we scored three goals. I think we were very sharp on counterattack and also in a couple of buildups we had."

Djordje Mihailovic - Midfielder, Chicago Fire

On his goal:

"I saw the space open at the top of the box and Brandon [Vincent] played a great ball in. All I had to do was connect with it, he did most of the hard work. I think it's just great to get on the scoresheet. Every day before the game, we practice crossing and finishing so it was routine for me."

On learning from veterans:

"Especially with the whole recovery, 10 months with de Leeuw, you learn a lot from veterans and how they live off the field as well as on. I think, staying with Dax [McCarty], Bastian [Schweinsteiger], Johan [Kappelhof], all these guys really helps me grow as a player."

On gaining confidence coming off injury:

"It's important, every day of training, every game, I feel more confident with my knee and with playing again. I'm especially confident with the team and them using me as a player that they need. I think each game you can see that improvement."

On lessons learned from injury:

"I think the injury made me look at the game a different way. Watching from outside, you really pick up things that you wouldn't if you were actually in training. I think it helped me."

On the expectations from Veljko Paunovic:

"He's expecting me to be a team player, to play my hardest, work hard defensively before anything. I think that's what happened today. Interceptions led to goals."

Stefan Cleveland - Goalkeeper, Chicago Fire

On building momentum throughout the game:

"I think having to make a big save the first time you touch the ball with your hands kind of gets you going, gets some momentum when they stuck one behind the line. I really wish we could have kept the shutout but it was a great goal. We came away with three points and that's the biggest thing."

On Diego Rossi's goal:

"I saw Lee Nguyen had a great chip and this guy came with his left foot and hit an unbelievable thing. I thought it was a cross. I thought it was over the goal, then I turned around and they stuck it right into the corner. Hats off to a fantastic goal."

On Djordje Mihailovic's performance:

"It's huge, especially with how young he is, to get his momentum, his confidence back up. An injury can hurt a career but he hasn't let it affect him, it's actually made him much stronger, to get him out there playing confident. It helps the team a lot. He can definitely carry us in a positive manner for the rest of the season."

On what went right in the match:

"I think the defense, the midfield was fantastic today. Shifting, communication, everything was great from the half all the way to the second half. I thought everybody worked very hard and worked very well and smart. I thought 90 minutes of running and it was very well-earned three points."

On playing LAFC:

"We know who they are, we know what they're capable of, but if we play our best, they're not going to beat us. Obviously, they got one by us in the end but I thought we held them back for a solid portion of the game, we did really well. Defense was great today."

Chicago Fire 3:1 Los Angeles FC

Sept. 29, 2018 - Toyota Park

Attendance: 18,471

Scoring Summary:

CHI - Djordje Mihailovic (1) (Brandon Vincent) 20'

CHI - Nemanja Nikolic (15) (penalty kick) 29'

CHI - Aleksandar Katai (12) (Djordje Mihailovic, Nemanja Nikolic) 66'

LA - Diego Rossi (10) (Lee Nguyen) 73'

Misconduct Summary:

CHI - Dax McCarty (caution) 24'

CHI - Nemanja Nikolic (caution) 57'

CHI - Brandt Bronico (caution) 79'

CHI - Johan Kappelhof (caution) 93'

CHI - Aleksandar Katai (caution) 93'

Chicago Fire: Stefan Cleveland; Jorge Corrales, Johan Kappelhof, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Brandon Vincent; Dax McCarty ©, Brandt Bronico; Raheem Edwards, Djordje Mihailovic (Drew Conner 71'), Michael de Leeuw (Aleksandar Katai 65'); Nemanja Nikolic (Jonathan Campbell 87')

Subs not used: Richard Sanchez; Daniel Johnson, Nicolas Hasler; Yura Movsisyan

Shots: 9; Shots On-Goal: 4; Fouls: 23; Saves: 5; Offsides: 3; Corners: 3

Los Angeles FC: Tyler Miller, Dejan Jakovic, Walker Zimmerman, Jordan Harvey, Steven Beitashour, Benny Feilhaber, Andre Horta (Christian Ramirez 70'), Eduard Atuesta (Lee Nguyen HT), Adama Diomande (Josh Perez 69'), Carlos Vela ©, Diego Rossi

Subs not used: Joao Moutinho, Calum Mallace, Luis Lopez, Marco Urena

Shots: 16; Shots On-Goal: 6; Fouls: 9; Saves: 1; Offsides: 9; Corners: 6

Check out the Chicago Fire FC Statistics



Major League Soccer Stories from September 29, 2018


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