Chicago Fire gifts the Union their lucky 13th home win in a row

Chicago Fire handed the Philadelphia Union a man advantage for 40 minutes when Fabian Herbers was sent off for an unnecessary challenge in the 50th minute but it took a howler from 19-year-old keeper Chris Brady in the 90th minute to keep the Union’s home winning streak alive.

Just as it was looking like the Union might fail to score for a third straight game and see their 12-game home win streak erased, substitute Joaquin Torres let a shot fly that skipped through Brady’s hands and into the net in the 90th minute. The goal was the first in a Union uniform for Torres and the team’s first since Julian Carranza scored in the 80th minute of a 4-1 win over Columbus Crew to open the season.

Joaquín Torres with the laaaate goal for @PhilaUnion! #DOOP pic.twitter.com/fXMl0MsYUY

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 12, 2023

The electricity streaming through another sellout crowd of 18,520 after the late winner only momentarily put in the background the harsh reality that the Union could be without their star goalkeeper Andre Blake for a stretch of games. Blake will be getting an MRI for an apparent groin injury.

“Sometimes these take a week, sometimes 4 weeks, sometimes 8 weeks,” head coach Jim Curtin said post-game.

Blake suffered the injury and had to leave the match in the 33rd minute. Joe Bendik wasn’t tested after coming in, facing zero shots and a 0.21 xG.

The Fire finished the game with 9 men after Kei Kamara saw a second yellow for crashing into Julian Carranza cleats first in the third minute of stoppage time.

The cards, unfortunately, were too much of the story of the game in a feisty affair that saw numerous clashes between players and referee Guido Gonzales Jr. handing out nine yellows (5-4 in favor of the Union) and two reds.

In the end, it was a performance where the Union weren’t at their best – their xG was only .9 after being up a man for 40 minutes – but didn’t need to be, especially with Alianza FC coming to town Tuesday night for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 tie.

After making eight changes for the first leg in El Salvador on Tuesday, Curtin re-inserted his opening day starting XI tonight against a Fire lineup that featured former Union players Herbers and Kacper Przybylko, the third all-time leading goal-scorer in MLS history in Kei Kamara and Switzerland international Xherdan Shaqiri.

The visitors had some bright moments to start the match and looked the more likely team to score but the Union nearly cashed in in the 13th off a corner kick from Kai Wagner to Carranza, but Carranza’s shot was cleared off the line by Gastón Giménez. It wouldn’t be until the 82nd minute until Wagner and Carranza linked up again for a shot on goal though Carranza and Torres both had earlier promising headed chances that missed the mark. In the end, the Union outshot Chicago 14-12 and registered just the three shots on target while winning possession battle 54%-46%.

The Union have another stretch of games ahead with Alianza coming to town for the decisive second leg with the score 0-0, followed by a trip to Montreal to play on the turf of Olympic Stadium for the second straight season on Saturday.