FC Cincinnati and Chicago Fire FC played out one of the most chaotic fixtures of the MLS weekend on Saturday night, finishing level at 3-3 after a contest that swung sharply in both directions at TQL Stadium.
Chicago looked set to turn an impressive road performance into all three points after Hugo Cuypers opened the scoring in the 26th minute and then restored the visitors’ lead in the 48th. But Cincinnati kept finding answers, first through Tom Barlow in the 42nd minute, then from the spot via Evander in the 79th, before a late own goal by D’Avilla Dje Tah in the 86th ensured the spoils were shared.
The visitors struck first when Cuypers finished in the 26th minute, rewarding a sharp Chicago opening that had asked real questions of Cincinnati’s back line. The home side responded well, however, and found their equalizer in the 42nd minute through Barlow, who brought TQL Stadium back to life just before the break.
That momentum did not last. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Philip Zinckernagel converted a penalty in the 45’+5′ minute to hand Chicago a 2-1 halftime lead. It was a frustrating concession for Cincinnati, who had worked their way back into the match only to trail again moments before the interval.
Chicago then tightened its grip on the fixture almost immediately after the restart. Cuypers grabbed his second goal in the 48th minute, putting the Fire 3-1 ahead and leaving Cincinnati with a mountain to climb.
To their credit, the hosts did not fold. Cincinnati controlled more of the ball over the full 90 minutes, finishing with 54.9 percent possession, while also piling up 23 total shots, 9 shots on target, and 9 corners. That pressure eventually told when Evander calmly converted a penalty in the 79th minute to cut the deficit to 3-2 and set up a tense finish.
The equalizer arrived four minutes from time in cruel fashion for Chicago. An own goal by D’Avilla Dje Tah in the 86th minute leveled the match at 3-3, capping a relentless Cincinnati push and completing a comeback that had seemed unlikely earlier in the second half.
There was still time for a ragged, heated closing stretch, with yellow cards shown late to Bryan Ramirez, Pavel Bucha, Dylan Borso, Jack Elliott, and Mbekezeli Mbokazi as emotions ran high in extended stoppage time. But neither side could find a winner.
In the end, this was a draw both teams will view differently. Cincinnati can take encouragement from its resilience after battling back from two separate deficits, while Chicago may rue letting a two-goal second-half advantage slip away. Still, the Fire showed plenty of attacking quality on the road, with Cuypers’ brace and Zinckernagel’s penalty underlining why they remain a dangerous side.
Goal scorers: Hugo Cuypers 26′, Tom Barlow 42′, Philip Zinckernagel 45’+5′ (penalty), Hugo Cuypers 48′, Evander 79′ (penalty), D’Avilla Dje Tah 86′ (own goal).
