Chicago City Wire

Chicago Fire FC II secured a 2-1 victory over FC Cincinnati 2 in a comeback match played on Sunday at NKU Soccer Stadium in Highland Heights, Kentucky. This result advances Chicago's record to two wins, one draw, and zero losses, accumulating six points.

Cincinnati initially took the lead after just four minutes when defender Andrei Chirilă connected with a blocked corner kick from Kenji Mboma Dem. Chirilă headed the ball into the upper 90 of the far post, marking his first Major League Soccer NEXT Pro goal and Cincinnati's first goal of the season.

However, Chicago responded swiftly, leveling the match six minutes later. Following a mistimed back header by Cincinnati's Chirilă, Chicago's Claudio Cassano intercepted the ball and rounded goalkeeper Paul Walters to score. Cassano continued to put pressure on Cincinnati's defense. Early in the second half, Cassano's cross was inadvertently tipped into Cincinnati's net by their defender, granting Chicago the lead.

Despite Cincinnati's efforts to equalize in the 65th minute through Stefan Chirilǎ, Chicago's Jean-Alpha Diouf prevented the goal by clearing the ball off the line, maintaining the Fire's advantage until the final whistle.

Chicago Fire FC II will continue their road trip with a match against New York Red Bulls II at MSU Soccer Park in Montclair, N.J. The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT with live streaming available on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.