Chicago Fire Vs Seattle Sounders: 3 things we learned – A hangover you don’t deserve
By Adnan Bašić
2. Full-Backs cost Chicago
All things considered, it was a solid showing from the Chicago Fire. However, there were two players who let them down on the day: the two full-backs.
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First things first, Brandt Bronico is not a right-back. Everyone knew that going into the season, which was the reason why Chicago signed Boris Sekulic during the winter. They took too long to get that deal done, unfortunately, which meant the player missed out on the game due to visa issues.
Bronico had to fill in as a result, which ended up costing the Fire. He was decent enough in the first half but everything changed when Jordan Morris came on at half-time. The U.S. international torched Bronico time and time again, scoring a brace to lead Seattle to victory. Bronico tried his best but this game showed the coaching staff that they cannot risk putting him out there again.
On the opposite side, Jonathan Bornstein was more solid over the course of the contest, but his mistake in the final minutes is what led to the winning goal for the Sounders. Covering the near post on a corner, he failed to step up after the initial flick on from Cristian Roldan, which kept Morris onside as he headed home from close range. Everything happened quickly, but a defender as experienced as Bornstein should read the danger quicker and act accordingly.
Chicago spent plenty of money this offseason, but they didn’t really improve the backline as much as other areas of the field, especially after the retirement of Bastian Schweinsteiger. That cost them today.