Bruno Damiani shines again as the Union extends unbeaten streak to 14 with a 3-1 win at Chicago
After former Union centerback Jack Elliott was sent off late in the first half, the Union erupted in the second. Milan Iloski scored and Damiani struck twice, with Cavan Sullivan assisting on one.
The Union extended their record unbeaten streak to 14 games, including eight wins in a row now, with a 3-1 triumph over the Chicago Fire on Wednesday at Soldier Field.
It was a come-from-behind win, with Chicago opening the scoring late in the first half. But a red card to former Union centerback Jack Elliott soon after that was the turning point.
Interim Union manager Ryan Richter picked a first-choice starting lineup with one exception: Defensive midfielder Danley Jean Jacques didn’t travel because of a foot injury that was announced late Tuesday. Richter said after the game that Jean Jacques suffered it in Saturday’s win over Real Salt Lake, but the team thought he’d be able to play.
Once he couldn’t, Jesús Bueno stepped in.
The first half was pretty quiet until Chicago’s goal in the 44th minute. It came from a well-worked team play that caught multiple Union players out of position.
Cavan Sullivan was first when Noah Allen ran behind him to receive Jonathan Bamba’s pass from the left wing. Neil Pierre was second, watching the ball instead of Maren Haile-Selassie’s run into the middle of the box. Nathan Harriel was third, as Haile-Selassie stepped in front of him easily and aimed a nifty flick past Andre Blake.
Just seconds after play resumed, Elliott was sent off for his second yellow card of the night. The first came in the 41st for shoving Bruno Damiani from behind, and the second would have been pass interference on the Bears: a grab of Milan Iloski from behind as he tried to break away.
Chicago accounted for Elliott’s departure by subbing out Bamba for centerback Andreas Hanche-Olsen at halftime. But that didn’t stop the Union from equalizing in the 49th.
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After Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady denied Iloski from close range, the Union recycled the rebound and it came to Frankie Westfield on the right. He crossed low, Damiani made a terrific backheel pass in the box, and Iloski stuck the ball in from the doorstep.
It was his 19th goal of the year in all competitions, tying him for the third-highest total in a year in team history. Tai Baribo scored 19 last year, and Dániel Gazdag did the same in 2024. Gazdag also has the top two totals, 22 in 2023 and 24 in 2022.
Five minutes later, the Union took the lead with a terrific team play. Westfield hit a cross-field pass to his fellow northeast Philadelphia native Sullivan, who jumped to head the ball to Iloski. His first-touch pass played the ball forward, and Sullivan continued his run to meet it. He crossed low, and Damiani flicked it superbly to the far post.
That was Damiani’s 14th goal of the year, and his seventh in the last six games. It was also Sullivan’s 12th assist of the year, and six of them have come since the World Cup.
A moment later, Richter made his first sub of the night, sending in Indiana Vassilev for Bueno when the latter ran out of gas.
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Damaini’s 15th goal came in the 67th, a pure finish by a striker with confidence.
It started with Chicago’s Mauricio Pineda all but giving the ball to Jovan Lukić near midfield. He fed Damiani, who started running. Shockingly, four Fire players let Damiani charge 25 yards untouched before he shot from just outside the 18-yard box and beat Brady low.
Chicago manager Gregg Berhalter seemed to wave the white flag after that with a triple-substitution. In the 80th, Richter put his team in soccer’s equivalent of a victory formation: He sent in Ben Bender and Ezekiel Alladoh for Sullivan and Damiani in the 80th.
That also let the attackers rest a little with the next game coming quickly, Saturday against Charlotte FC at Subaru Park (2:30 p.m., Apple TV). But there was still time for the Fire to force Blake into two strong saves in the final minutes.
» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan, Neil Pierre, and Frankie Westfield savor ‘a pinch-me moment’ with their USMNT debuts
Japhet Sery Larsen and Malik Jakupović were the last substitutes, replacing Quinn Sullivan and Iloski in the 92nd.
The Union (13-10-6, 45 points) finished the night in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. But they’re just one point back of Charlotte, just three points behind fourth-place Chicago (14-9-6, 48 points), and four behind third-place New England.
