Chicago Turns Atlanta’s Possession Into an Empty Night

Starting Lineup

The Chicago Fire beat Atlanta United 2-0 on Saturday night at SeatGeek Stadium, turning a tight first half and a second-half penalty into a controlled home win.

Atlanta had beaten Chicago 4-0 in March, one of the early proof points for how dangerous Tata Martino’s expansion team could be. The return match in Bridgeview went in the other direction. Chicago won by two, held Atlanta scoreless, and made the night less about Atlanta’s possession than its lack of clear work in front of goal.

Chicago put six of its 12 shots on target. Atlanta put two of its 12 on target. The Fire made Atlanta defend the goal more often, and when the match offered its two clearest scoring moments, Chicago took both. Luis Solignac scored in the 28th minute, Nemanja Nikolics converted a penalty in the 69th, and Atlanta left Bridgeview with a 2-0 loss that looked like a bad night in both the box score and the player ratings.

Atlanta’s bad night showed up in the places where possession is supposed to become pressure. Villalba took four shots and missed the target with all four. Asad recorded one of Atlanta’s two shots on target, but completed just 21 of 34 passes and failed to connect on either cross. Kratz and Larentowicz were tidy enough in midfield, combining to complete 62 of 69 passes, but Atlanta still reached the 63rd minute needing Miguel Almirón and Josef Martínez off the bench to change the game.

Atlanta passed its way into the game without passing its way through Chicago. The Fire defended the traffic, waited for the useful moments, and punished the openings Atlanta gave them.

1st Half

Tito Villalba kicked off for Atlanta at SeatGeek Stadium in a reshaped front line. Josef Martínez started on the bench, Kenwyne Jones was unavailable, and Brandon Vázquez was held as the reserve striker. Miguel Almirón, Atlanta’s most dangerous creator, was also held in reserve.

Chicago went ahead in the 28th minute. Luis Solignac scored from open play, with the event feed listing no assist and no second assist on the goal. The finish gave the Fire a 1-0 lead.

Kevin Kratz was booked in the 38th minute, the only card shown in the first half.

The halftime whistle came at 45+1. Chicago took a 1-0 lead into the break, and Atlanta had reached halftime without changing the front line that started the match.

2nd Half

Chicago kicked off the second half with Nemanja Nikolics and a 1-0 lead. Bastian Schweinsteiger was booked in the 49th minute, and Chicago made the first change of the half in the 58th, sending Drew Conner on for Luis Solignac. David Accam was also booked in the 58th.

Tata Martino turned to the bench in the 62nd minute. Miguel Almirón replaced Kevin Kratz, giving Atlanta its primary creator with nearly half an hour left. One minute later, Josef Martínez replaced Jeff Larentowicz, turning Atlanta’s midfield-heavy setup into a front line with a true center forward.

Chicago answered with a defensive change in the 64th minute, replacing Juninho with Jonathan Campbell. Carlos Carmona was booked two minutes later.

The match moved away from Atlanta in the 69th minute as Chicago were awarded a penalty. Nikolics converted it to make the score 2-0.

Atlanta made its last change in the 74th minute. Brandon Vázquez replaced Tito Villalba, giving Atlanta another striker for the final stretch. The late attacking group still did not produce a goal. Martínez finished with one blocked shot, Vázquez had two attempts with none on target, and Almirón did not record a shot.

Chicago made its final change in the 85th minute, replacing Accam with Arturo Álvarez. The Fire reached the final whistle at 95’ with the 2-0 lead and the clean sheet.

Closing Thoughts

Atlanta’s night can be reduced to one uncomfortable split. It had more possession-related output, and Chicago had the sharper end product.

The passing number flatters Atlanta more than the match deserved. Atlanta completed 373 passes, but its final output was two shots on target and no goals. It attempted 21 crosses and completed two. It won seven corners and got nothing from them. Villalba took four shots without putting one on frame, and Asad’s rough rating matched a night when he finished with one shot on target, two unsuccessful crosses, and a 62 percent passing rate.

Atlanta’s problem was the gap between possession and pressure. The ball moved through enough Atlanta feet, but the final actions rarely made Chicago uncomfortable. Villalba’s four shots missed the target. Martínez and Vázquez came off the bench and combined for three attempts without a shot on goal. Almirón gave Atlanta another creator for the final half hour, but he did not record a shot.

Chicago’s attackers supplied the parts Atlanta lacked. Accam created, Solignac finished, and Nikolics converted the penalty. The Fire did not need many more details than that to turn a close match into a 2-0 win.