Cincinnati rallies late to force eventful draw vs. Fire

Field Level Media|published: Sat 18th April, 22:17 2026

Apr 18, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson (12) (center) heads the ball clear away from Chicago Fire FC midfielder Dje D’avilla (42) during the first half of an MLS match at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images

FC Cincinnati scored twice in the final 15 minutes of regulation to earn a 3-3 draw against the visiting Chicago Fire Saturday evening.

Hugo Cuypers found the net twice for Chicago, extending his team lead to six goals on the season. But Cincinnati (2-4-2, 8 points) used goals in the 79th and 86th minutes to end the Fire's (4-2-2, 14 points) three-match MLS winning streak.

The match was a battle, with 41 total shots, 16 shots on goal, 20 combined fouls and seven combined yellow cards.

After a scoreless 25 minutes to start, both teams heated up offensively, combining for three goals in the next 20 minutes plus stoppage time.

Cuypers got the scoring, connecting on a right-footed shot with assists from Philip Zinckernagel and Jack Elliott to give the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute.

In the 42nd minute, Cincinnati striker Tom Barlow tied the match when the rebound of Chris Brady's save of Bryan Ramirez's shot fell to his feet at the edge of the 6-yard box.

It looked like that 1-1 tie would hold going into halftime, but Cincinnati's Samuel Gidi picked up a costly foul on Cuypers in the third minute of stoppage time. Zinckernagel took advantage with a right-footed penalty shot that got past Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano and gave the Fire a 2-1 lead.

Things went from bad to worse for Cincinnati three minutes into the second half when Cuypers scored again to increase the Fire's lead to 3-1.

Just when time was starting to dwindle, Cincinnati roared back. Evander, who scored 18 goals a season ago, notched his first goal of the season in the 79th minute on a penalty kick set up by Mbekezeli Mbokazi's foul of Gerardo Valenzuela on his run into the box.

Cincinnati then leveled in the 86th minute on an own goal from Chicago's Dje D'Avilla directly off an Evander free kick.

Despite an extended 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time, neither team could find the net, with Brady making his eighth save to keep the game level.

Celentano finished with three saves.

--Field Level Media

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