The Chicago Fire secured their MLS Cup Playoff berth and left Inter Miami’s hopes of retaining the Supporters’ Shield hanging by a thread with a thrilling 5-3 away win over the Herons.
Miami entered Tuesday’s match seven points behind the Eastern Conference and Supporters Shield leaders, the Philadelphia Union, with two games in hand, knowing two wins were needed to give them a realistic chance of the regular-season title.
But they were 2-0 down within 31 minutes, with Dje Tah D’Avilla heading Maren Haile-Selassie’s 11th-minute corner home before Jonathan Dean squeezed a shot under Oscar Ustari on the break.
A Lionel Messi corner prompted a goalmouth scramble and allowed Tomas Aviles to prod home and make it 2-1 in the 39th minute, but Chicago struck again before the break.
Rominigue Kouame sat Aviles down on the edge of the area before stroking home two minutes before the interval, following Haile-Selassie’s second assist of the game.
Miami did come roaring back after half-time, with Luis Suarez leading their fightback. He tucked home following neat work from substitute Baltasar Rodriguez, then after Messi went close from range, the Uruguayan curled home brilliantly in the 74th minute.
However, Chicago quickly picked themselves up, with Mauricio Pineda squaring to give Justin Reynolds the simplest of finishes 10 minutes from time.
And any hopes of another Miami comeback were quickly extinguished as Fire substitute Brian Gutierrez controlled Haile-Selassie’s pass and arrowed a stunning, long-range effort into the top corner, ensuring Chicago will finish in a play-in spot as a minimum.
Data Debrief: Chicago’s drought over
Chicago’s victory ensures they will feature in the postseason for the first time since 2017, having missed out in seven successive years before Gregg Berhalter’s arrival.
And with 51 points on the board, the Fire have passed the 50-point mark for just the third time since winning the Supporters’ Shield in 2003, following a 57-point campaign in 2012 and a 55-point haul in 2017.
There was a standout performance from Haile-Selassie, who became the ninth player this year to supply three assists in an MLS game – something even Messi has not done.
Miami, meanwhile, saw their four-match unbeaten run end and the Supporters’ Shield could be snatched away from them as early as Saturday, with the Philadelphia Union now only requiring one more win ahead of facing New York City.
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