Chicago Fire FC II Rout Cincinnati 7-2
Chicago Fire FC II earned a dominant 7-2 victory over FC Cincinnati 2 on Aug. 2 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.
Forward Jason Shokalook recorded a hat trick as Chicago climbed into eighth place in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference standings.
FC Cincinnati 2 took an early lead in the eighth minute. Cheikhou Niang opened the scoring after receiving an assist from Nathan Gray.
Chicago responded five minutes later. Shokalook headed the ball into the net following a combination involving Dylan Borso and Robert Turdean, leveling the match at 1-1.
Puso Dithejane put Chicago ahead in the 19th minute after being set up by David Poreba.
Shokalook scored his second goal of the match in the 30th minute, again benefiting from a pass by Poreba, to extend Chicago’s advantage.
Victor Radojević added another goal six minutes later. He capitalized on a loose ball inside the penalty area to record his first goal for Chicago Fire FC II.
Cincinnati reduced the deficit shortly before halftime when Gray found the net, sending the teams into the break with Chicago holding a 4-2 lead.
Both sides made several substitutions during the second half, but Chicago remained in control.
Poreba scored the fifth goal in the 79th minute after receiving a pass from Turdean.
Damian Nigg increased the lead five minutes later, converting an assist from Damyan Villanueva to make it 6-2.
Shokalook completed his hat trick during stoppage time. He broke away from midfield, moved past goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek and scored Chicago’s seventh and final goal.
The victory gave Chicago Fire FC II a 7-2 final score and three important points in the Eastern Conference race.
Chicago will next host Toronto FC II at SeatGeek Stadium on Monday, Aug. 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The match will be available to stream worldwide on OneFootball and MLSNEXTPro.com.
