The Chicago Fire’s push for the playoffs received a crucial boost on Saturday night as the Men In Red beat the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union 2-0 at SeatGeek Stadium. After a tense opening half-hour, Nemanja Nikolic broke the deadlock, tapping in a low cross from Przemyslaw Frankowski into the back of the net. The Hungarian then grabbed a second on the stroke of half-time, converting a penalty that was awarded to Chicago after CJ Sapong was brought down in the area.
That would not be the end of the first half, however, as Nicolas Gaitan was sent off after a late challenge with seconds to go.