Stanislav Ivanov scored the inaugural goal of the Ezra Hendrickson era before halftime, Jonathan Bornstein added another late and Chicago Fire FC defeated D.C. United 2-0 for their first victory under their new manager on Saturday night at Audi Field.
Gabriel Slonina made four saves as he and Chicago kept their third clean sheet in as many opportunities after sharing the points in their opening two matches.
Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star Xherdan Shaqiri didn't officially receive an assist, but he and fellow Fire newcomer Kacper Przybylko contributed to the sequence leading to Ivanov's opener. Chicago added an insurance tally in the 80th minute, as Gaston Gimenez's clever, flick-on header of Boris Sekulic's cross set up Bornstein's late strike.
Bill Hamid made four stops for D.C., who were shut out and dropped points for the first time this season.
Three Things
- BIG PICTURE: Chicago have now kept three consecutive clean sheets for the first time since May 4 to May 11 of 2019, and will try for their first four in a row since a stretch from July 11 to Aug. 1 of 2009. Meanwhile, D.C. have now gone 205 minutes since their last non-penalty goal, scored by Ola Kamara to seal a 3-0 win over Charlotte FC on opening weekend.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: It was a choppy encounter on a frigid night on Potomac Avenue, but Chicago's second was a moment of exceptional quality produced by three players. This time, Bornstein finished it with his foot, rather than the header that marked the most famous goal of his career, also scored in Washington 13 years ago for the US men's national team.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Stanislav Ivanov. In addition to scoring the eventual winner and Chicago's first goal of 2022, the Bulgarian winger had a strong overall performance, completing more than 85% of his passes against a high-pressing opponent and winning two-thirds of his 12 duels.
Next Up
- DC: Saturday, March 19 at Toronto FC | 3 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, DAZN in Canada)
- CHI: Saturday, March 19 vs. Sporting Kansas City | 6 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, DAZN in Canada)
