BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – The Chicago Fire snapped the five-match winning streak of Western Conference power FC Dallas, earning a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Designated Players David Accam and Shaun Maloney on Sunday at Toyota Park.
FC Dallas entered the match with the most points-per-game of any MLS side, but the Fire scored early in the first half and doubled their lead late in the second to pick up three points as they continued to push back into the Eastern Conference MLS Cup Playoff race.
WATCH: Match Highlights | Frank Yallop Postmatch
Accam netted his sixth goal of the season just four minutes into the match. The Ghanaian Designated Player ran onto a pass from strike partner Jason Johnson, beat an FC Dallas defender and then slotted his shot between goalkeeper Dan Kennedy’s legs.
Chicago had a chance to add to its lead in the 77th minute. Matt Polster laid a pass off for Razvan Cocis inside the 18-yard box and the Romanian midfielder crushed a shot toward the upper corner. If not for a leaping save from Kennedy, the Fire would have increased their lead sooner than the 85th minute.
The game changed moments later after Matt Watson was given a straight red card for a hard challenge near midfield, reducing the Fire to 10 men.
Player Reaction: Maloney | Accam | Larentowicz
Despite the disadvantage, Chicago pushed its lead to 2-0 thanks to a penalty-kick goal from Maloney. All three Fire Designated Players got into the mix on the play. Accam carried the ball into the FC Dallas area on a counter attack before getting dispossessed heading toward goal. However, Igboananike was first to the deflection and won the penalty after an FC Dallas defender tripped him while lunging for the ball. Kennedy guessed right, but Maloney’s shot sailed wide of the goalkeeper’s fingertips and into the net for his third goal of the season.
With the win, Chicago retains the Brimstone Cup – a trophy awarded to the winner of the Fire and FC Dallas series each season. With the two teams facing each other just once in 2015, the trophy was awarded to Chicago following the match.
Match Stats and OPTA Chalkboard | Postmatch Quotes | Blog
The Men in Red return to action on Friday, Aug. 6 against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park. Kickoff is 10 p.m. CT on UniMas.
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MLS Regular Season
Chicago Fire (6-11-4, 22 pts.) 2:0 FC Dallas (11-6-5, 36 pts.)
Aug. 2, 2015 – Toyota Park
Attendance: 14,209
Scoring Summary:
CHI – David Accam (Jason Johnson) 4
CHI – Shaun Maloney (penalty kick) 85
Misconduct Summary:
DAL – Mauro Diaz (caution) 35
DAL – Tesho Akindele (caution) 48
DAL – Kellyn Acosta (caution) 76
CHI – Matt Watson (ejection) 79
Chicago Fire: Sean Johnson, Lovel Palmer (Matt Watson 68), Eric Gehrig, ©Jeff Larentowicz, Joevin Jones, Harry Shipp, Razvan Cocis, Matt Polster, Shaun Maloney, David Accam (Patrick Nyarko 88), Jason Johnson (Kennedy Igboananike 66).
Shots: 11; Shots On Goal: 6; Saves: 3; Fouls: 16; Corner Kicks: 5; Offsides: 4.
FC Dallas: Dan Kennedy, Atiba Harris, Zach Loyd, ©Matt Hedges, Ryan Hollingshead (Moises Hernandez 82), Fabian Castillo, Victor Ulloa (Rolando Escobar 58), Kellyn Acosta, Michael Barrios, Mauro Diaz, David Texeira (Tesho Akindele 46).
Shots: 13; Shots On Goal: 3; Saves: 4; Fouls: 11; Corner Kicks: 7; Offsides: 1.
