Red Bulls hand Fire second straight home loss
The New York Red Bulls ended a lengthy winless stretch Saturday night, defeating the Chicago Fire 3-1 and handing Chicago its second consecutive home loss.
Jorge Ruvalcaba, Cade Cowell, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting each scored for New York, which snapped a five-match MLS winless streak while also ending a two-game scoreless run.
Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath made three saves for the Red Bulls (4-5-3, 15 points), while Chicago’s Chris Brady recorded one save as the Fire fell to 5-4-2 on the season.
The loss marked a difficult turn for Chicago, which had recently put together a five-game unbeaten streak before dropping back-to-back home matches.
The matchup also featured a notable coaching storyline, as New York rookie head coach Michael Bradley faced Gregg Berhalter, his former coach with the U.S. men’s national team. Bradley spent the final year of his international playing career under Berhalter before retiring from the national team setup in 2019.
Chicago controlled possession for much of the opening half, holding 59 percent of the ball, but struggled to generate meaningful chances. The Fire did not register a shot on target until the 44th minute.
Moments later, New York capitalized on defensive space down the left side. Emil Forsberg found Ruvalcaba in the box, and the forward delivered a first-time right-footed strike into the top corner for his fourth goal of the season and a 1-0 lead in first-half stoppage time.
The Red Bulls doubled their advantage early in the second half through a quick counterattack. Ronald Donkor carried the ball from midfield before finding Cade Cowell, making a run into the area. Cowell finished low past Brady for his first goal since joining New York.
Chicago pushed for a response but was repeatedly denied, including a crucial defensive stop from Dylan Nealis in the 67th minute. After a looping attempt from Puso Dithejane floated beyond Horvath, Nealis sprinted to the goal line and cleared the ball over the crossbar to preserve the lead.
New York extended the margin to 3-0 in the 81st minute when Choupo-Moting converted a penalty kick after Brady fouled Adri Mehmeti inside the box.
The Fire avoided a shutout late in the match. Hugo Cuypers, who entered the game tied for the MLS lead in goals, scored in the 87th minute after converting a rebound following a Horvath save. The strike was Cuypers’ seventh goal in Chicago’s last four matches.
Despite the late goal, Chicago’s defensive struggles continued. Brady has now conceded nine goals across the team’s last four games after opening the season with four clean sheets in the club’s first seven matches.
For New York, the victory provided a needed breakthrough after weeks of frustration, while Chicago will look to regroup after seeing its early-season momentum fade at home.
