The match between Chicago Fire U-23 and Dayton Dutch Lions on May 31 was a long battle of who would score the first goal.
This was the third game of the season for Fire U-23 after beating the St. Louis Lions on May 29th 2-1 and drawing Winnipeg 1-1 on May 22nd.
As for the Dutch Lions, their first game ended in a loss against Forest City London 2-1 on May 21st.
The first half consisted of three offsides for Fire U-23 and four fouls while only two fouls for Dutch Lions.
The Dayton Dutch Lions controlled much possession during the first half of the match as Chicago Fire U-23 carelessly continued kicking the ball out of bounds.
Fire U-23 goalkeeper Adrian Remenluk was able to block multiple worthy attempts made by Dayton forwards Eric Kissinger and Vlad Lekarev.
The first half ended with no scoring and much frustration for the players, but they seemed to come back with more determination in the second half.
Fire U-23 was able to take back possession of the ball after a rough first half dominated by Dutch Lions.
However, the Dayton Dutch Lions looked worn out and misguided by the second half with six fouls, two offsides, and several turnovers.
After both teams struggling to score throughout the first hour, Chicago Fire U-23 began to really take charge of the ball with several shots on goal coming one after another onto Dutch Lions goalkeeper Chris Froschauer.
The Fire finally made their move in the 76th minute in with the first goal of the game by midfielder Andrew Conner.
The Dutch Lions weren’t ready to surrender a second loss of the season and began to fight back for possession.
It was in stoppage time when DDL midfielder Zach Zwiesler made a goal on Remenluk, tying the game and making the final a 1-1 draw.
Chicago Fire U-23 plays next at home on June 7th at 6:30 pm against St. Louis while Dayton Dutch Lion’s next game is in West Carrollton on June 6th at 7:30 pm, playing against K-W United FC.
