The Chicago Fire (6-8-3, 21 points) fell 2-1 to Sporting Kansas City (8-5-6, 30 points) Sunday afternoon at Toyota Park. Sporting KC got two quick goals from Benny Feilhaber and Graham Zusi in the 6th and 8th minutes before Mike Magee’s MLS-leading 11th strike of the season in the 38th minute pulled the Men in Red within one.
The visitors would get on the board in just the sixth minute when Matt Besler sent a long throw-in into the Fire’s penalty area. The ball took a couple deflections and fell to Feilhaber, who from just steps inside the 18-yard-box and slammed his right-footed shot off the post and into the bottom left corner to put the visitors up.
Sporting KC would double the lead just two minutes later after a bending Graham Zusi shot from distance curled past Fire ‘keeper Paolo Tornaghi and into the top right corner.
The Men in Red would cut the lead in half in the 38th minute. From just inside Sporting KC’s half, Jeff Larentowicz headed the ball forward, finding Magee 40-yards from goal. Magee turned and headed towards goal, and slipped his right footed shot from 18-yards out under Sporting KC ‘keeper Jimmy Nielsen into the bottom left corner.
In the 57th minute, left back Gonzalo Segares was shown his fifth yellow card of the season for a foul on Zusi. The Costa Rican will miss the Fire’s next match at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on July 14.
In the waning moments, midfielder Daniel Paladini was shown a straight red card in the 93rd minute for a hard tackle from behind on Dom Dwyer, forcing the Men in Red to finish the match down a man.
The Fire welcome Liga MX champions Club America in an International Friendly presented by TrueCar at Toyota Park on Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. CT (ESPN2/ESPN Deportes).
