New York Red Bulls Defeat Chicago Fire 3-1 in Impressive Performance

Jorge Ruvalcaba, Cade Cowell, and Eric Maxim Chuopo-Moting each scored as the New York Red Bulls secured a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Fire on Saturday, marking the Fire’s second consecutive home loss.

Ethan Horvath recorded three saves for the Red Bulls (4-5-3, 15 points), helping the team emerge from a two-game scoring drought and break a five-match winless streak in Major League Soccer.

Hugo Cuypers found the net in the 87th minute for Chicago (5-4-2, 17 points), which is experiencing a downturn after a five-game unbeaten run.

New York’s rookie coach Michael Bradley achieved a notable win against his former U.S. men’s national team coach, Gregg Berhalter, who now leads Chicago. Bradley played for the USMNT from 2006 to 2019, and the two were together during Berhalter’s final playing season.

Chris Brady made one save for the Fire, but he has allowed nine goals in the last four matches after previously recording clean sheets in four of Chicago’s first seven games this season.

The first half was subdued, with Chicago controlling 59 percent of possession but not registering its first shot on goal until the 44th minute.

New York capitalized on its next possession in the dying moments of the first half. After the Fire defense granted Emil Forsberg and Ruvalcaba too much space on the left side of the box, Ruvalcaba received a pass from Forsberg and fired a right-footed shot into the top right corner, scoring his fourth goal of the season to give the Red Bulls a 1-0 lead.

Four minutes into the second half, the Red Bulls struck again with a fast-paced attack. Ronald Donkor advanced the ball from beyond midfield and set up Cade Cowell, who made a clever inside run. Cowell found himself on the right side of the box and scored with a low shot past an advancing Brady, marking his first goal as a Red Bull and extending the lead to 2-0.

Defender Dylan Nealis made crucial blocks, including a near goal from Puso Dithejane in the 67th minute, preventing Chicago from narrowing the gap.

In the 81st minute, Choupo-Moting added to the scoreline with a penalty kick, placing the ball into the left side of the net following a tackle on Adri Mehmeti in the box.

Cuypers, who entered the match tied for the league lead in goals with ten, managed to score in the 87th minute, capitalizing on a rebound after a save by Horvath. This marked his seventh goal across Chicago’s last four matches.