Chicago Fire Vs Orlando City: 5 things we learned – De Leeuw returns

BRIDGEVIEW, IL - JULY 18: Chicago Fire forward Nemanja Nikolic (23) celebrates his goal with teammates during the game against the Louisville City FC on July 18, 2018 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BRIDGEVIEW, IL - JULY 18: Chicago Fire forward Nemanja Nikolic (23) celebrates his goal with teammates during the game against the Louisville City FC on July 18, 2018 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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BRIDGEVIEW, IL – JULY 18: Chicago Fire forward Nemanja Nikolic (23) celebrates his goal with teammates during the game against the Louisville City FC on July 18, 2018 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

On Sunday afternoon, the Chicago Fire ended their long unbeaten streak by defeating Orlando City by a 4-0 scoreline. Here are 5 things we learned.

It was close to a dream day at Toyota Park with the Chicago Fire scoring goals for fun against a woeful Orlando City defense. Nemanja Nikolic opened the scoring within minutes, Aleksandar Katai then capitalized on a goalkeeping error to make it two soon after, and then, in the second half, Michael De Leeuw grabbed one from a corner before Nikolic completed his brace to make it four goals on the day.

The win climbed Chicago out of the basement of the Eastern Conference while sending Orlando down the other way in the process.

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Here are five things we learned from the contest.

BRIDGEVIEW, IL – JUNE 09: Chicago Fire mascot Sparky pose before the game against the New England Revolution on June 9, 2018 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BRIDGEVIEW, IL – JUNE 09: Chicago Fire mascot Sparky pose before the game against the New England Revolution on June 9, 2018 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

5. A rare good day at Toyota Park

It’s been a season of lows for Fire fans. But the game on Sunday was a rare highlight. Going into the contest, Chicago had only won four games at home, with all of them being by only one goal.

It’s been a stark difference to last year when the team was blowing out opponents on a consistent basis. Against Orlando, it felt like the good old days again. The Fire were fun to watch and had complete control of the game. The weather, it should be said, helped, as it was a beautiful sunny day in Bridgeview.

For the first time in a long time, everyone looked happy, from the players to the coaches to the fans. With the upcoming schedule in mind, it will probably be the last win of the season for the Fire, so Chicago fans should enjoy this brief moment in time before normal services resume.