Chicago Fire backup goalie Jeff Gal had one night to sleep on the fact that he would be starting Saturday’s win-or-go-home game against the Philadelphia Union.
Starting goalie Chris Brady came down with a lower leg injury Friday, leaving the Bartlett native Gal to start the second game of the best-of-three, first-round MLS Cup playoff series with the season on the line.
The Union did what any good team would do: put pressure on Gal early and often. It resulted in a 3-0 win, advancing Philadelphia to the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Fire’s most successful season since 2017 came to a close in front of 17.431 fans at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Two of the goals came when Gal turned the ball over trying to clear it out of the box.
“It happens to everyone,” Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said. “Mistakes are a part of the game of soccer. He hadn’t played in a while. Maybe he lacked some rhythm. That’s the situation that we’re in.
“He came through for the team before. He’s won games in this league before. (Saturday) was an unfortunate game for him.”
Gal turned the ball over trying to clear it out of the box in the 8th minute, and Union leading scorer Tai Baribo stole it and punched it into the empty net for a quick 1-0 lead.
Baribo struck again in the 16th minute. This time, a defensive turnover led to a cross from Kai Wagner that Baribo headed in to make it 2-0 Union. The brace from Baribo gave him a team-best 18 goals on the season.
The Fire had hope in the 32nd minute, however. Philip Zinckernagel, who returned after missing the penalty-kick shootout loss in Game 1 with an injury, had a corner kick. On the shot attempt, the Fire were awarded a penalty kick, which could have potentially cut the lead in half. Instead, Brian Gutierrez’s shot to the lower right corner was saved by the Union’s Andre Blake to keep the score 2-0.
Shortly thereafter, Gal had another clearing attempt blocked, and Bruno Damiani was there to clean it up to give the Union an insurmountable 3-0 lead. Milan Iloski was credited with the assist.
“I felt that the first goal doesn’t need to happen,” Berhalter said. “When you look at the goals we conceded, in a playoff game you can’t make those mistakes and have a chance to win.”
Gutierrez appeared to get the Fire on the board in the second half. In the 51st minute, Blake tried to clear a ball out of the box and Gutierrez blocked it right into the net. But the Fire midfielder was called for a foul and the goal was waved off.
Philadelphia managed to stymie the highest-scoring Fire team in club history. The Fire managed only nine shots in the match and only two shots on goal.
“To be down 3-0 at that stage of the game is deflating,” Berhalter said. “Give the guys credit, they didn’t give up. I’m proud of that. Not happy with the performance, but proud that the guys didn’t fold. We had to change formations. We had to put guys in different positions. We had to do what we had to do and the guys just rolled with it.”
Zinckernagel gutted his way through the game after rehabbing an injury all week. In his first season in MLS, he was a breakout star, becoming the first Fire player ever with at least 15 goals and 15 assists.
“Overall, I think we have a lot to be proud of this season,” Zinckernagel said. “Reaching the playoffs was great. I think we showed that there is a lot of potential on this team. It’s just the small details that change seasons and games.
“Right now, it’s a little bit of a disappointing feeling. Maybe (Sunday) or Monday we, can look back at the season and be proud and grateful for all the hard work we put in.”
Despite the loss, Berhalter started to see his vision for the club come to fruition quickly.
He guided the Fire back to the postseason for the first time since 2017. Their wild-card win over Orlando City was the first playoff win for the club since 2009.
“The message after the game was that we made progress,” Berhalter said. “Remember this feeling that we have right now because it stinks. We all have a very bitter taste in our mouths about the performance, about how we’re exiting. We should use that as motivation.”
In addition to the progress on the field, Berhalter has seen the momentum build around the city. Between the playoff appearance and the plans for a new stadium in the South Loop, the former U.S. men’s national team coach sees what the Fire can become.
“There is a spark,” Berhalter said. “The city is getting engaged. It’s really important. Everything we’re doing is trying to build a winner for the city of Chicago. To see the fans (Saturday), to see the stadium filled up like it was, to hear the buzz around the city is spectacular.
“I think this year was a step.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
