Playing their second game with new addition Bastian Schweinsteiger, the Chicago Fire picked up their first win of the Schweinsteiger era, beating visiting Columbus Crew SC 1-0 Saturday at Toyota Park in the middle contest of their three-game homestand.
Crew SC were something of a diminished lineup, without Federico Higuain (ankle injury), Harrison Afful and Kekutah Manneh. The Fire had the better of the first half, and took the lead when Nemanja Nikolic ran onto a pretty pass by Dax McCarty and finished past helpless Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen in the 22nd minute for the game's only goal.
Goals
- 22' – CHI – Nemanja Nikolic Watch
Three Things
THE SECOND GAME WAS TOUGHER:
After scoring his first MLS goal in his debut a week ago, Bastian Schweinsteiger found the sledding a little tougher on Saturday. His brilliant free kick from just outside the box appeared to be swerving right into the upper right corner, but it was parried away by a diving Columbus keeper Zack Steffen in the 76th minute. Then, in the 85th, Schweinsteiger appeared to be pushed down to the ground in the box by Columbus'
Niko Hansen
, but despite Schweinsteiger's protests, no penalty call was forthcoming.