Columbus Crew wins second road match in a row, defeating Chicago Fire 3-1: Replay
For the second match in a row, the Crew went on the road without their leading scorer and were able to pick up a victory.
Facing the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field, the Crew recorded a 3-1 win. Striker Cucho Hernandez was unavailable once again with a back injury. He also missed Columbus' 3-1 win over CF Montreal on Wednesday.
As he did against Montreal, Diego Rossi stepped up in Hernandez's absence. Rossi has now scored in back-to-back matches.
Takeaways: Diego Rossi scores first goal in MLS play this season, Crew win vs Montreal
Columbus went into halftime with a 1-0 advantage, and Christian Ramirez would add to the lead in the second half with his first goal of the season. Jacen Russell-Rowe scored in the final two minutes before stoppage time, shortly after the Fire recorded their lone goal of the night. He had missed the Montreal match with a leg injury.
This marks Chicago's fourth loss in a row. Columbus meanwhile has its second win in a row, following a seven-game winless streak in MLS play.
(89') Jacen Russell-Rowe scores to put Columbus Crew ahead 3-1
Just minutes after Chicago cut down the Crew's lead to one goal, Jacen Russell-Rowe put the lead back at two with a strike from the left side of Chicago's box. His shot attempt flew right past goalkeeper Chris Brady.
(85') Chicago Fire get on the board with goal from Carlos Teran
Chicago has cut down Columbus' lead in half, 2-1, late in the game following a goal from Carlos Teran. The opportunity came off a corner kick, and after the ball was hit around a few times, Teran was able to send a header shot past Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte.
(73') Alex Matan and Malte Amundsen substituted into match for Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew make two more changes to the lineup with less than 20 minutes of regulation to play, putting Alex Matan in for Christian Ramirez and Malte Amundsen for Will Sands.
(70') Tom Barlow enters match for Chicago Fire, replacing Hugo Cuypers
Chicago Fire makes their final substitution, putting Tom Barlow into the match for Hugo Cuypers.
(67') Chicago Fire substitute Xherdan Shaqiri and Maren Haile-Selassie into the match
Following a VAR review of a possible handball within Columbus' box in which the no-call stood, Chicago added Xherdan Shaqiri and Maren Haile-Selassie into the lineup for Brian Gutierrez and Chris Mueller.
(56') Christian Ramirez puts Columbus Crew ahead 2-0 vs Chicago Fire
Christian Ramirez extends the Crew's lead to 2-0 in the second half, scoring a header goal from the left side of Chicago's box off a cross from Mo Farsi. The shot attempt bounced off the crossbar and into Chicago's net.
This is Ramirez's first goal of the season.
(46') Columbus Crew substitute Sean Zawadzki for Aidan Morris
Aidan Morris, who is dealing with an ankle injury Crew coach Wilfried Nancy confirmed back on Monday, was taken out of the match at the start of the second half for Sean Zawadzki.
The Chicago Fire replaced Gaston Gimenez with Kevin Acosta at the start of the half as well.
(45') Columbus Crew go into halftime ahead 1-0 vs Chicago Fire
The Crew hold the lead going into halftime following the lone goal of the first half from Diego Rossi.
Between both teams, there were seven shot attempts taken in the half, four for Chicago and three for Columbus, but the Crew were the only one of the two clubs to take any on goal, with two.
(39') Crew forward Marino Hinestroza taken out of match
After taking a shove from Chicago defender Carlos Teran, Marino Hinestroza had to be helped off the field and was quickly replaced by Jacen Russell-Rowe, who is returning to action after missing the Crew's match against CF Montreal on Wednesday.
(30') Diego Rossi scores, Columbus Crew take 1-0 lead
Diego Rossi scored the first goal of the match for Columbus, on a putback from his initial shot attempt in the box.
On the left side of Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady, Rossi took a shot that was saved by Brady. The ball was hit in the air and after a few seconds, landed back with Rossi. With the open opportunity, Rossi took another shot that went straight past Brady on the second attempt.
This is Rossi's second goal in the two matches, after going goalless in the Crew's first 10 MLS regular-season games.
(24') Rafael Czichos given yellow card for foul against Christian Ramirez
Defender Rafael Czichos was given the first yellow card of the night for a foul against the Crew's Christian Ramirez.
(11') Mo Farsi takes first shot for Columbus Crew
After 10 minutes of play, Mo Farsi was the first Crew player to take a shot, with his attempt coming from the right side of the field, far outside Chicago's box. Chicago goalkeeper Christ Brady was able to quickly grab the ball out of the air.
Diego Rossi is Columbus Crew's highest-paid player, surpassing Cucho Hernandez
The latest MLS Players Association salary guide has revealed that Cucho Hernandez is no longer the highest-paid player on the Crew. That title now belongs to Diego Rossi.
According to the data released on Thursday, Rossi is making $3,376,827 in 2024, nearly $700,00 more than he made in his first season with Columbus, after joining the club in August. Hernandez is making $2,886,000, the same salary he had in 2023.
Read more learned from the MLSPA data here.
Chicago Fire starting lineup vs Columbus Crew
Here is the starting 11 for Chicago vs Columbus:
GK: Chris Brady
DF: Allan Arigoni
DF: Carlos Teran
DF: Rafael Czichos
DF: Andrew Gutman
MF: Federico Navarro
MF: Gaston Gimenez
MF: Fabian Herbers
MF: Brian Gutierrez
MF: Chris Mueller
FW: Hugo Cuypers
Columbus Crew starting lineup vs Chicago Fire
Here is the starting 11 for Columbus vs Chicago:
GK: Patrick Schulte
DF: Rudy Camacho
DF: Yevhen Cheberko
DF: Steven Moreira
MF: Mo Faris
MF: Aidan Morris
MF: Darlington Nagbe
MF: Will Sands
FW: Marino Hinestroza
FW: Christian Ramirez
FW: Diego Rossi
Columbus Crew without Cucho Hernandez vs Chicago Fire
For the second game in a row, the Crew will be without their leading scorer Cucho Hernandez.
Hernandez missed the Columbus-CF Montreal match due to dealing with some back pain, according to Crew coach Wilfried Nancy. This is the fifth match this season, including CONCACAF Champions Cup play, that the club will be without Hernandez.
Chicago Fire injury report vs Columbus Crew
Here is the Chicago's official availability report:
Chase Gasper (leg): Out
Tobias Salquist (leg): Out
Columbus Crew injury report vs Chicago Fire
Here is the Crew's official availability report:
Evan Bush (arm): Out
Cucho Hernandez (back): Questinable
Jacen Russell-Rowe (knee): Questionable
Both Hernandez and Russell-Rowe were unavailable for Columbus against CF Montreal on Wednesday night and were set to have their status evaluated by coach Wilfried Nancy on Thursday's training at Lower.com Field.
Russell-Rowe was seen participating at the training, which was open for season ticket holders to watch, while Hernandez was missing.
Who are the referees for Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire?
Here are the officials for the Crew vs Chicago on Saturday night:
Referee: Ricardo Fierro
Assistant Referee 1: Brooke Mayo
Assistant Referee 2: Jeremy Hanson
Fourth Official: Lukasz Szpala
VAR: Younes Marrakchi
Assistant VAR: Fabio Tovar
Where does Chicago Fire rank in MLS Eastern Conference standings?
Chicago Fire sit second to last in the Eastern Conference with a record of 2-7-4, which is good for 10 points. The only team Chicago is currently above in the standings is New England Revolution.
Here are Chicago's most recent MLS results:
May 15: Charlotte FC 1, Chicago 0
May 11: St. Louis FC 3, Chicago 1
May 4: New England Revolution 1, Chicago 0
April 27: Chicago 0, Atlanta United 0
April 20: Real Salt Lake 4, Chicago 0
Where does Columbus Crew rank in MLS Eastern Conference standings?
Following the 3-1 victory in Montreal, the Crew moved up one position in the Eastern Conference standings, from eighth to seventh. Columbus holds a 4-2-6 record, which is good for 18 points, one less than sixth ranked Toronto FC.
Here are the Crew's most recent MLS results:
May 15: Columbus 3, CF Montreal 1
May 11: FC Cincinnati 2, Columbus 1
April 27: Columbus 0, CF Montreal 0
April 20: Columbus 2, Portland Timbers 2
April 13: Real Salt Lake 0, Columbus 0
Columbus Crew overall record vs Chicago Fire
The Crew are 26-27-23 against Chicago, and 6-7-2 at Solider Field.
How to listen to Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire radio broadcast
The Crew vs. Chicago English-speaking radio broadcast will be on Alt 105.7 FM and also available via the iHeartRadio app. Columbus' regular radio broadcaster Chris Doran will be on the call.
The Spanish radio broadcast can be found on La Grande 102.5 FM and the La Grande radio app with Juan Valladares doing play-by-play.
Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire streaming information
The Crew-Chicago match will be available on Apple TV via the MLS Season Pass with a subscription. Here are the broadcast teams for tonight:
English broadcast: Neil Sika (play-by-play), Lloyd Sam (analyst)
Spanish broadcast: Sergio Ruiz (play-by-play), Walter Roque (analyst)
When is the Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire match?
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m., Saturday, May 18 at Solider Field in Chicago.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire: Live updates from MLS matchup
