Chicago Fire beat CF Montreal 2-0

Chicago Fire FC won 2-0 at CF Montréal on May 16, with Philip Zinckernagel scoring in the 14th minute and Hugo Cuypers adding a second-half goal at Stade Saputo. Chris Brady made six saves for Chicago, which improved to 7-4-2 and 23 points, according to the club and MLS match reports. (mlssoccer.com) Montréal fell to 4-8-1 and 13 points. Cuypers’ goal was his league-leading 13th and his 10th straight MLS match with a goal, Chicago said. (chicagofirefc.com) Montréal had 56.8% possession and 16 corner kicks, but Chicago finished the afternoon with the two goals and the clean sheet. (chicagofirefc.com) MLS listed Chicago with 13 shots to Montréal’s 16, and both teams put six attempts on target. Brady’s six saves preserved Chicago’s sixth shutout of the season, the reports said. ### How did Chicago take control so early? Philip Zinckernagel put Chicago ahead in the 14th minute. MLS listed the Danish attacker as the scorer of the opening goal, and the Chicago club report said he also assisted on Cuypers’ second-half finish. (mlssoccer.com) The early lead gave Chicago room to defend deeper while Montréal pushed numbers forward. MLS’ match summary showed Montréal with the edge in possession, total passes and corners, but Chicago remained ahead on the scoreboard from the first quarter-hour onward. (mlssoccer.com) ### What made Cuypers’ goal stand out? Hugo Cuypers scored in the 67th minute to double Chicago’s lead. MLS credited Zinckernagel and Maren Haile-Selassie with the assists on the play. (mlssoccer.com) Chicago said Cuypers became the third player in Major League Soccer history to score in 10 consecutive matches. The club also said the Belgian striker’s 13 goals led MLS at this stage of the season. ### How did Montréal create pressure without scoring? CF Montréal generated 16 shots, six on target and 16 corners, according to MLS’ official match page. (mlssoccer.com) The home side also completed 457 passes at an 85.1% accuracy rate, compared with Chicago’s 323 passes at 82.3%. Chris Brady kept Montréal off the board with six saves. (mlssoccer.com) MLS’ match recap said Chicago withstood Montréal’s pressure despite the home side’s possession advantage, and the clean sheet was Brady’s sixth of the season, according to the Chicago Tribune game report summary and AP’s match report. (chicagofirefc.com) ### Where does this leave both teams in May? Chicago moved to 7-4-2 with 23 points after the road win. The result followed a 3-1 victory at D.C. United on May 13, as shown on the club’s schedule page. (mlssoccer.com) Montréal dropped to 4-8-1 with 13 points. The club’s schedule page shows the loss came after a stretch that included a 2-2 draw with Portland and a 2-0 home win over Orlando in league play, plus a 5-0 Canadian Championship victory over Calgary Blizzard SC. ### What comes next on the schedule? Chicago’s next match is May 23 against Toronto FC, with kickoff listed at 5:30 p.m. on the club’s official schedule page. (mlssoccer.com) The same page lists the game as Chicago’s next MLS regular-season fixture after the Montréal result. (chicagofirefc.com) Montréal’s next match is also May 23, when it travels to D.C. United for a 4:30 p.m. game, according to the club’s official calendar. Both clubs list Apple TV as the broadcast outlet for those fixtures. (chicagofirefc.com) (cfmontreal.com)