Armchair Analyst: Matt Doyle<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Let’s run through the four-game schedule during the September international window.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I really like watching this year\u2019s Chicago Fire<\/a>. And I feel that way for the most basic of reasons: when they<\/em> have the ball, they do a lot of things that make them an attractive soccer team, one that plays the game in an aesthetically pleasing way.<\/p>\n As so:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Within 90 seconds vs. the Revs, the Fire had a 10-pass back-to-front build-up that led to a box entry, followed by a 15-pass build-up that led to the opening goal. pic.twitter.com\/Bw4SE6NRVk<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) September 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Because they play this way \u2013 they can and often use the ball so well, then are fearless in building out and when in the attack \u2013 they beat the New England Revolution<\/a> at home on Saturday night, and are above the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line (ninth in the Eastern Conference on 42 points). They’re nearing a postseason return for the first time in nearly a decade.<\/p>\n I also really like watching this year\u2019s Chicago Fire for the other most basic of reasons: when they<\/em> don\u2019t<\/em> have that ball, they do a lot of things that make their opponents an attractive soccer team, one that’s allowed to play in an aesthetically pleasing way.<\/p>\n As so:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Last 20 minutes the Revs just constantly found space between the lines and got downhill. pic.twitter.com\/eS3ZAraW1G<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) September 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Because the Fire play this way \u2013 they often allow opponents to use the ball so well, and are fearless when building out \u2013 they only beat the Revs 3-2<\/a>. And it was a very hold-on-for-dear-life proposition, as Chris Brady<\/a> had to make a point-blank save on a late Brandon Bye<\/a> header to preserve the full three points.<\/p>\n This is, I think, baked into manager Gregg Berhalter\u2019s approach during his first season in charge. Berhalter\u2019s an ideologue, and the idea he has right now is to take the version of the Fire we can all see in that first goal above, and make it the version of the Fire that\u2019s on the field 90 percent of the time. He hasn\u2019t really been willing to give an inch to the God of Pragmatism.<\/p>\n That includes the postgame presser when asked about seeing a 3-0 lead almost evaporate against a Revs team that\u2019s not making the playoffs.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I think if we start talking about almost, we can say we almost scored six goals, right? Like, it’s not really relevant,\u201d Berhalter said. \u201cWhat happened was we won the game. We had to be resilient at the end. We had to come up with a big save at the end, and we did. That’s the most important thing.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, there’s times when you don’t get the three points. There’s times when you deserve to get it, you don’t get it. There’s times when you don’t deserve to get it, you get it. But today, I thought it was a game we deserved to get all three points. It was a strong performance, and I would only be critical of a couple moments. But overall, very strong performance from the team.\u201d<\/p>\n I don\u2019t disagree with that. But what we\u2019ve seen, time after time this year against the best teams in the league, is that the Fire are easy pickings in the most valuable real estate on the pitch.<\/p>\n If Berhalter doesn\u2019t solve that, Chicago\u2019s potential return trip to the postseason won\u2019t last very long. Or even come at all (they’re just two points above the New York Red Bulls<\/a>, though have a game in hand).<\/p>\n A few other notes from this game:<\/p>\n St. Louis<\/a> went up a goal and a man, and then this happened:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I don\u2019t know what to say about this, other than a hearty \u201cwell done!\u201d to FC Dallas<\/a> backup goalkeeper Jacob Jackson<\/a>, who came on after Michael Collodi<\/a> was sent off in the 16th minute.<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, Jackson has an excellent shot-stopping record in MLS NEXT Pro<\/a>. It hasn\u2019t translated to MLS yet \u2013 or hadn\u2019t, I guess; we\u2019re working in the past-tense now \u2013 but he\u2019s only 25 and I wouldn\u2019t be shocked if he has a real future in this league. This performance will certainly go onto the r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n Dallas got their only goal when St. Louis fell asleep defending a throw-in. The point is not what they\u2019d hoped for entering this game, but if you\u2019d offered it to them after going down to 10 men, I\u2019m pretty sure they\u2019d have grabbed it with both hands.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t feel like they should be, but believe it or not, Dallas are still very much alive in the Western Conference playoff race. If they win their game in hand on ninth-place San Jose<\/a>, they\u2019ll be just one point back.<\/p>\n As for St. Louis\u2026 I\u2019m sure the fans don\u2019t want to hear this, but they largely did exactly what you want to do when you\u2019ve got a man advantage. They\u2019re just sorta cursed this year.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Also cursed: the Houston Dynamo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This time it was LA<\/a> midfielder Lucas Sanabria<\/a> casting the spell when he headed home deep into second-half stoppage time for the 1-1 final<\/a>, and this is the exact kind of result that will almost certainly haunt a team with the margins this thin. The Dynamo had a chance to climb level with San Jose in the race for the final playoff spot out West, and instead let a heavily rotated, maybe-gonna-win-the-Spoon Galaxy side break their hearts. A 1-1 draw at home, against a team with (virtually) nothing to play for? Cursed.<\/p>\n What makes it worse is how avoidable it was. Houston are at their best when they dictate tempo, keep the ball, and move opponents side to side, which is exactly how they got the opener.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a1Ezequiel Ponce abre la cuenta para @HoustonDynamo<\/a> frente al campe\u00f3n! ???????????? pic.twitter.com\/tPfc2XG2Aa<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MLS Espa\u00f1ol (@MLSes) September 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n \u201cWe have to get out of here with three points. There are a bunch of ways to do that. You can make plays down the stretch, dig out a few balls and defend the box, or you can score a few more goals to make our life easier,\u201d head coach Ben Olsen said in the postgame.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does not matter how we win at this point, but we just did not find enough of those moments tonight to see this game out. It is unfortunate, and it hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n Five games left for Houston, and the road is much harder now \u2013 dark and full of terrors.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n And finally, Austin<\/a>‘s Nico Est\u00e9vez had to do a bunch of mixing-and-matching with his injury and international call-up-depleted squad on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire at Sporting KC<\/a>, which led to something of a tactical chess match between him and KC interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin.<\/p>\n \u2014 MLS Espa\u00f1ol (@MLSes) September 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Some prescient commentary from @TaylorTwellman<\/a> here. pic.twitter.com\/W1xojrMcHk<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) September 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n And that, of course, led to CJ Fodrey<\/a>\u2019s match-winner on the subsequent corner kick, which marked the first time all year Austin registered a come-from-behind win. And that meant they leapfrogged Portland<\/a> into sixth place in the West on 41 points.<\/p>\n Is this replicable for the Verde & Black against playoff-caliber teams? Probably not! But the point for Est\u00e9vez & Co. this week wasn\u2019t to lay the tactical groundwork for November; the point was to \u2013 anyway, anyhow \u2013 get the kind of result that would make November games a possibility in the first place.<\/p>\n Three points on the road. That\u2019s it. Job well done.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nChicago Fire FC 3-2 New England Revolution<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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St. Louis CITY SC 1-1 FC Dallas<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Houston Dynamo FC 1-1 LA Galaxy<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Sporting Kansas City 1-2 Austin FC<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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