Saturday’s Columbus Crew SC match caught fans off guard. Columbus entered the match with a league-best two goals allowed. The Chicago Fire doubled that 10-match total within 15 minutes.
The Black & Gold didn’t have playmaker Lucas Zelarayan, who missed his second straight match, and Darlington Nagbe, who missed his first of the season, available. What resulted was a first half with not much possession and was met by a Chicago side that got behind the league’s most successful defense twice.
Head coach Caleb Porter said that both of the Crew’s top midfielders are suffering from “minor knee knocks,” and doesn’t expect both to be out long.