Crew keep Fire down with 3-1 road victory

Updated: May 19, 2024, 04:16 am

While the Chicago Fire found a way to score at home, it wasn't enough in a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday.

Diego Rossi scored in the 30th minute and Christian Ramirez made it 2-0 in the 55th for the Crew (5-2-6, 21 points), who have won two straight after a 0-2-5 stretch.

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Carlos Teran pulled the Fire to within a goal in the 85th minute, ending their home scoreless streak at 457 minutes, only to have Jacen Russell-Rowe put in the dagger three minutes later for the Crew.

Chicago (2-8-4, 10 points) has five losses and two ties in its past seven matches.

Teran made it interesting when he scored his first of the season on a snap header after the Fire's third consecutive corner kick.

But Russell-Rowe responded, taking a service from Malte Amundsen with his right foot and pushing the ball to his left for a rocket to the upper left corner.

The Fire entered with a leaky defense, tied for second-most goals allowed in the Eastern Conference with 23, and another breakdown led to the Crew's 1-0 lead.

Ramirez fed Rossi down the right side and his shot that was targeted for the near post was saved by Chris Brady. However, the rebound flew to the top of the box where Fire defenders Rafael Czichos and Andrew Gutman collided while going for the clearance.

The ball popped directly to Rossi for the volley. Both of his league goals have come in the past two matches although he has scored three times in six Champions Cup matches.

Chicago was desperate to get on the scoreboard after having been shut out in its previous four home matches since Brian Gutierrez scored in the 78th minute vs. Houston on April 6, which also happened to be the last time the Fire won.

The Fire nearly equalized in the 54th when Hugo Cuypers forced a save by Patrick Schulte after a long run and setup by Fabian Herbers. The Crew immediately went down and scored on a Ramirez header off the bar after a Mo Farsi cross.

The Crew have won four straight against the Fire and are on a 6-0-1 streak against them since the Fire's last win on Aug. 15, 2021.