Nearly a year ago, Veljko Paunovic led his squad into Red Bull Arena and called upon then-rookie Mo Adams to make his professional debut in the Fire midfield. At the end of 90 minutes, Adams’ dogged pursuit of the Red Bulls’ midfield maestros proved to be a chief component of the Fire’s well-earned 2-1 road win in Harrison.
Fast-forward to Saturday, when the Fire once more lined up opposite a stalwart Red Bulls side -- this time at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview -- and Paunovic again called on Adams to make his season debut and be a disruptive force within New York’s attacking unit. The 22-year-old English midfielder proved to be just that, partnering with former Red Bull Dax McCarty in the center of the pitch to limit the Red Bulls’ effectiveness going forward and ultimately steer the Fire to a 1-0 win, the club's first victory of 2019.
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“I think Mo coming back from the loan, coming back from the few games since the start of the season when he didn't have the opportunity to play, his performance today was fantastic,” Paunovic said. “I think he gave us a strong presence with his athleticism and his defensive mindset, together with combining with Dax's leadership and experience and guidance, I think we had a very strong midfield today.”
“I think every game against the Red Bulls is going to be like that,” Adams said in the locker room after the match. “They make life difficult in the middle. We just try to match their intensity if not exceed that and I think that's what we did. It wasn't a pretty game but at the end of the day it's three points.”
Adams wasn’t the only youngster to play a pivotal role in Saturday’s win after having gone previously unused in the Fire’s first three matches of the season. Fire Homegrown product Jeremiah Gutjahr assumed the left back role left vacant by the injured Jorge Corrales and Raheem Edwards, going the full 90 minutes and contributing to Chicago’s first shutout of 2019 -- and the club's first regular-season clean sheet against the Red Bulls since Aug. 10, 2014.
“I think I was just telling myself to lock in every single second, every minute,” Gutjahr said of his performance. “So once the final whistle blew I was like, ‘we got the job done.’ But I was just trying to tell myself it's a simple game. It's the same game, just at another level.”
That the steady performances of Adams, Gutjahr and indeed the collective unit seemed to overshadow the debut of Nico Gaitán speaks volumes about Saturday’s display by the home side. After touching down in Chicago on Thursday morning, the Argentine playmaker entered in the 63rd minute with his new side already leading 1-0 through a 48th-minute Red Bulls own goal. For Paunovic, Gaitán’s inaugural run-out was a key first step in his integration into the side.
“It's important for him to step on the field to see, to learn the atmosphere, to learn our fans and their spirit, to learn the opposition today,” Paunovic said. “I think he saw a very strong team in front of him so that's a good adjustment for him. I loved those couple of great touches he had and he just shows the class in every play that he's involved.”
Much like in the aforementioned 2018 road win over the Red Bulls, it was New York that held an advantage in possession on the final stat sheet, with Saturday’s 64-percent possession figure mirroring their 63-percent advantage at Red Bull Arena last April. But the degree to which the Fire allowed that possession to translate to chances allowed on Saturday was in stark contrast to last year’s meeting; the Red Bulls mustered only seven shots with one on goal, compared to 22 and 11, respectively, a season ago.
“I think today we saw that when we are all on the same page,” Paunovic said, “[the] 13 players who played today, when we are all on the same page, we are focused and concentrated from the first second until the end of the last, we are capable of doing great things.”
Having completed a three-game March homestand, the Fire will now be looking to build on Saturday’s result when they travel next week to face Toronto FC, a side that on Friday sped past NYCFC, 4-0, thanks to a two-goal, one-assist performance by Spanish Designated Player Alejandro Pozuelo.
“[Today’s win] was definitely important, especially after having two home games before that where we didn't get the win, so I think it was extremely crucial for us to get a victory today,” Adams said. “It sets us up perfectly for Toronto next week.”
