In a way, the Chicago Fire’s 2-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City Saturday night mirrored the team’s 2021 season—bad trouble early on, followed by solid play that wasn’t quite good enough to overcome the deficit.
Despite a good Chicago second half and a lively debut from new defensive midfielder Federico Navarro, two sloppy goals early on were good enough to give Kansas City the victory in front of a packed crowd at Children’s Mercy Park.
Jose Mauri scored the first goal in the fourth minute, after a low shot slipped through Bobby Shuttleworth’s legs—a rare error for the Fire goalkeeper this season.