The game in 100 words (or less): Who knows what’s happening — let alone what’s going to happen — in the Eastern Conference? You don’t, even if you think you do. I know, without a single doubt in my mind, that I don’t either. We’re all in the same boat after a result like the (previously) last-place Chicago Fire’s 3-0 victory over over the fourth-place Philadelphia Union on Saturday. It was anything but pretty, of course, but first-year head coach Veljko Paunovic has the bunch from Bridgeview looking more and more like a professional soccer team with each passing week (now just one loss in their last five games). Roland Alberg opened the scoring with an unfortuante (but deserved — further explanation of that below), and Michael de Leeuw scored from a simple tap-in. Not pretty, but they all count the same. Finally, the Fire are out of the MLS cellar.
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Three moments that mattered
22' — Alberg credited with an own goal — After his pathetic play-acting and blatant cheating last weekend, some might say the soccer gods have it out for Alberg.
Polster starts it off and @ChicagoFire go up 1-0 after some deflections in the box. #CHIvPHI https://t.co/CJwH3ptoBk
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 4, 2016
31' — Pontius goes upper-90, but Johnson tips it over — Chris Pontius couldn’t have place this much better than he did, and Sean Johnson couldn’t have reacted any better than he did.
BIG save from Sean Johnson to keep the Chicago lead at one. #cf97 #CHIvPHI https://t.co/erNrZ3xbyO
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 4, 2016
71' — De Leeuw heads home to make it 2-0 — Here, you can see every Union defender to rotate while in emergency transition, which is almost always a very bad thing.
.@ChicagoFire double the lead through Michael de Leeuw. The Fire lead 2-0 with fifteen minutes remaining. #CHIvPHI https://t.co/gMbPyreGSs
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 4, 2016
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Man of the match: Sean Johnson
Goalscorers: Alberg (22' - OG), De Leeuw (71'), Alvarez (90')