Substitute Fanendo Adi scored his long-awaited first goal in an FC Cincinnati shirt, guiding a left-footed finish inside the far post to give the visitors a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire in Week 19 at SeatGeek Stadium.
Adi's 83rd-minute winner followed Allan Cruz's opener 82 minutes earlier to give Cincy their second in a row despite absorbing considerable pressure for most of the second half.
Adi, who was the first FC Cincinnati player signed to an MLS contract when he was acquired from the Portland Timbers last year, scored his first goal in the North American top flight since July 28. On that day, he also scored the decider as a sub in Portland's 2-1 win over Houston, in what was essentially his farewell match.
Nicolas Gaitan leveled 1-1 for Chicago moments before halftime when he drove in the rebound after goalkeeper Spencer Richey saved his penalty. Gaitain also struck an earlier penalty off the right post, as Chicago saw their home unbeaten run snapped at eight matches.
Gaitan's first penalty miss was the last kick before referee Fotis Bazakos halted play for nearly an hour due to severe weather.
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Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Chicago may have dominated between the 18s and outshot Cincy by a more than 3-to-1 ratio, yet it's hard to say they deserved a better outcome after conceding 45 seconds into the match, nearly wasting two penalties and allowing Adi so much space for his winner. If they finish outside the playoff places for a second consecutive season, they'll look back on this as three points lost.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Adi has been through a lot this season, from failing to produce as expected on the field to a DUI incident off it, but he was clearly grateful that his goal finally came.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Spencer Richey. Hard to say any of Richey's six saves were truly outstanding — aside from the penalty he stopped before Gaitan buried the rebound — but he was more than solid on a night his team needed him to be. His best work probably came in denying Francisco Calvo off a 77th-minute corner.
Up Next
- CHI: Wednesday, July 17 vs. Columbus Crew SC (8 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US and on DAZN in Canada)
- CIN: Thursday, July 18 vs. D.C. United (8 pm ET | ESPN in US, TSN2 in Canada)
