The Chicago Fire arrived in Montreal very much in need of three points and, after a gritty 90-minute shift, had found what they were seeking with a 1-0 win over playoff hopefuls Montreal Impact.
Check out a few of the notes and milestones to come out of the Saturday night fixture:
- Most importantly, the Fire snapped a four-match losing skid and took a step toward turning the page after losing six of seven MLS outings, which came on the heels of an 11-match unbeaten streak. The win allowed Chicago to overtake Columbus and regain third place both in the Eastern Conference and in the Supporters' Shield standings, on points (44) and points per game (1.63).
- Bastian Schweinsteigerrecorded the game-winning goal with his third tally in Major League Soccer and his second against Montreal, having also registered a goal in his MLS debut against Montreal back on April 1.
- Right back Matt Polster made his triumphant return to the Fire lineup after missing three straight games with a knee injury, setting up Schweinsteiger's goal for his fifth assist in just 15 games this season and doing more than his fair share to contain the influential Ignacio Piatti. (Also see: MLSsoccer.com's Matt Doyle provides an insightful look at Polster's impact on Saturday and the effect of Polster and Brandon Vincent's recent absence from the Fire.)
- Chicago recorded its first clean sheet since July 1 after conceding at least once in eight straight matches. It was the first time in 16 home matches this season that the Impact were kept off the scoresheet and the first time in MLS play since the Fire's 3-0 blanking of the Impact on August 20, 2016.
- The Fire's third road win of 2017 gives the club its most victories away from Toyota Park in a season since 2013 (4).
- Chicago had its first true experience with the recently instituted Video Review policies in Major League Soccer, when a 50th-minute tackle by defender Deian Boldor was deemed upon further review to merit a straight red card. Boldor, acquired on loan from Italian club Bologna FC on July 20, was making his debut for the Impact.
- Rookie Homegrown midfielder Djordje Mihailovic was in Veljko Paunovic's starting XI for the third time in four games and recorded his first MLS assist on Schweinsteiger's game-winning goal. Mihailovic played 89 minutes, his longest shift in MLS to date.
- The Fire improved to 5-6-5 all-time in MLS regular season competition against the Impact, picking up their second-ever win in Montreal. The 2017 season series between the two sides ended 1-1-1.
- Chicago was without the services of All-Star midfielder Dax McCarty, currently on international duty with the U.S. Men's National Team. Montreal was left to fill even more holes in its lineup because of the ongoing FIFA window, with the likes of Laurent Ciman (Belgium), Anthony Jackson-Hamel (Canada), Samuel Piette (Canada) and Blerim Dzemaili (Switzerland) among their six national team call-ups.
- The aforementioned Brandon Vincentmade a brief appearance in the 89th minute, his first action for the Men In Red since July 5 at Portland (where he scored a game-tying goal). Vincent missed seven games (and most of an eighth) while recovering from a quad strain.
- Injuries did prevent Joao Meira (right calf) and David Accam (ankle) from participating in the win.
- Goalkeeper Richard Sanchez was included in Veljko Paunovic's matchday roster for the first time since being acquired by the Fire on August 10.
- Despite playing down a man for 40-plus minutes, Montreal ended the game with an 11-8 edge in overall shots and a near 50-50 split in possession. Each side managed just two shots on goal apiece.
