Chicago Fire Vs Seattle Sounders: 3 things we learned – Massive win for Men in Red

The Chicago Fire made a winning return to life in MLS as they beat the Seattle Sounders. Here are three things we learned from the 2-1 win.

It took a while for either team to get going, but the Chicago Fire eventually saw past the Seattle Sounders thanks to a 52nd-minute strike by Robert Beric. The center-forward got in behind the Seattle defense before dancing past a defender and placing a shot into the bottom corner.

The Sounders responded well and equalized in the 77th minute. Substitute Jordan Morris found space on the wing and picked out Handwalla Bwana, who redirected the low cross into the back of the net. The Fire, though, would not be denied all three points. Mauricio Pineda volleyed home a corner with 10 minutes to go to grab the winning goal, capping off a strong showing in style.

Here are three things we learned from the Chicago Fire’s 2-1 victory.

3. Slow starters

It makes complete sense given the circumstances, but both sides started this game very slowly. For the Chicago Fire, it was their first game in over four months. Everyone knew they would need some time to shake off the rust that had accumulated during the hiatus. Seattle, meanwhile,had already played once in this tournament, but that earlier fixture likely led to some tired legs this time around.

Then there are the other external issues like the absence of fans to push either team forward and the 9 am kick-off time. Players are not used to playing that early — the pre-match meals were as early as 5 am — and many of them needed a few moments to wake up.

It has been a similar story for other games in the league. The first halves have been slow, tepid, full of mistakes and loose play. In the second half, matches have tended to come alive. That was again the case here.