Toronto FC II completed a comeback against Chicago Fire II and defeated them 4-2 in a thrilling seesaw match at York Lions Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The visitors controlled the game and were the first to strike in the 5th minute. Homegrown forward Alex Monis scored Chicago Fire II's first-ever MLS NEXT Pro goal to give them the lead. The home team then regained control of the ball. It began creating more opportunities, one of which came to fruition in the 22nd minute with defender Kobe Franklin scoring the equalizer with an assist by Hugo Mbongue.
The teams exchanged two goals early in the second half to make it 2-2. Then Gianni Cimini's men became more offensive and got two more scores, in the 71st minute by Nakye Greenidge-Duncan and in the 88th by Alec Diaz, to help seal the 4-2 victory.
The Story: Chicago Fire II sees first-ever MLS NEXT Pro goal in Week 4
Chicago Fire II was finally able to find its first goal of the season in a road match against Toronto FC II, four weeks after kicking off its inaugural MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
Forward Alex Monis broke the team’s goalless streak following a lousy clearance from TFC II goalie Greg Ranjitsingh. His goal came after teammate Josh Penn recovered the ball, entered the 18-yard box, and crossed it to Monis, who finished with a header.
The latter signed a first-team homegrown deal on March 11, 2020, and is under contract until 2023 with a Club option for 2024. The 19-year-old made his Major League Soccer debut against Columbus Crew in 2021.
The team managed by Ludovic Taillandier entered Sunday’s matchup with a record of 0-1-2 and had one point after tying their last game against Rochester New York FC and falling 6-5 in shootouts from the penalty spot. Despite another defeat, scoring that first goal should give the team the confidence to find the critical first victory.
Chicago Fire II will look to get its first three points at home against Philadelphia Union II on Sunday, April 24.
