Monday ReWatch: 3 Thoughts on the Chicago Fire's 1-1 Draw vs New England

It was time to rewatch the Chicago Fire’s 1-1 draw from over the weekend against the New England Revolution and there were more positives than negatives to take from the chaotic match in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Hugo Cuypers scored a goal in his second consecutive match with the assist going to the captain’s armband-donning Fabian Herbers, the former Creighton Blue Jays fourth goal contribution of the 2024 season.

Now, here are my three thoughts from the Monday rewatch.

Cuypers is Finally Rolling

The build up to Cuypers’ 20th minute goal in New England was better than the finish itself. Maren Haile-Selassie, who is quickly becoming the Fire’s most consistent attacking threat, played a fabulous ball to Herbers before the Ahaus, Germany native found Cuypers open on the left. The Fire’s club-record signing had no problem burying the chance to give his side the early lead and it was a welcome sight to see.

Cuypers is not the type of player who is going to score glorious goals from nothing but he is a great finisher when teammates set him up properly. Each of his goals with the Fire came from a great chance created by a teammate (Herbers in New England, Carlos Terán vs Montréal) near the net.

Despite scoring again, Cuypers spoke for the team post-match when noting that the Fire should’ve had three points in Foxborough.

“I think I speak for the whole team when I say that we are disappointed because we definitely felt that the three points were possible today,” said Cuypers. “We didn't play well enough in the second half. I'm going to say we went back a little too much and didn't manage the crucial moments of the game well enough to get a win. A point is a point on the road, but still, we've got to get a result when we can.”

The Annual Howler

You never want to see the Fire give up a goal like they did just before halftime after Spencer Richey made a mess of a save off a Carles Gil shot from the left side and the loose ball was promptly tapped in by Nacho Gil to tie the match at one on the last kick of the first half.

Most clubs have a similar situation happen at least once a year and, given the weather conditions, the mistake isn’t unforgivable. A point on the road is always a good thing early in the season and the Fire were able to do so despite a crucial mistake.

Should the Fire have taken three points in New England? Sure, but at least they did a job and got the single point.

The Referee Lost the Plot

It will continue to blow my mind that Matt Polster was not sent off in the second half after clearly grabbing at Kellyn Acosta’s neck during the 90th minute scuffle while on a yellow card. We’re getting to the point in the MLS season where these poor refereeing decisions are adding up and the match in Foxborough was horribly managed. The referee made himself a major part of the match and it was to both side’s detriment. A deal needs to be made soon because this is becoming farcical. 

What's On Tap Next? 

The Fire will be on the road when they face Atlanta United on March 31. The match is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.