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Matt Polster’s Strike Lifts New England Revolution Past Chicago Fire FC in Front of Season-High Crowd

Revolution midfielder Matt Polster celebrates with teammates after his goal versus Chicago Fire FC. Image Courtesy of Kari Heistad

FOXBOROUGH, MA –New England Revolution (16-4-10, 52 pts.) battled to 1-0 victory over Chicago Fire FC (14-6-9, 48 pts.) on Saturday evening.

The match kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium to a crowd of 34,506.

Starting XI versus Chicago Fire FC.

New England starting lineup: 4-3-3 | Matt Turner, Will Sands, Ethan Kohler, Mamadou Fofana, Ilay Feingold, Matt Polster, Brooklyn Raines, Carles Gil (C), Peyton Miller, Luca Langoni, Dor Turgeman

New England substitutes:| J.D. Gunn, Tanner Beason, Griffin Yow, Wilson Harris, Dániel Gazdag, Diego Fagúndez, Judah Siqueira, Cody Baker, Joshua Wynder

Chicago Fire FC starting lineup: 4-4-3 | Chris Brady, Leonardo Barroso, Andreas Hanche-Olsen, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Andrew Gutman, Dje D’Avilla, Maren Haile-Selassie, Anton Saletros, Puso Dithejane, Phillip Zinckernagel, Robert Lewandowski

Chicago Fire FC substitutes:| Josh Cohen, Mauricio Pineda, Sergio Oregel, Noah Allen, Jonathan Dean, David Poreba, Puso Dithejane, Anzor Mekvabishvili, Johan Gomez

Starting XI versus Chicago Fire FC.

Chicago opened the second half on the front foot, immediately looking to advance the ball and apply pressure in New England’s midfield.

The Fire created the first opportunity of the half in the 8th minute when Leonardo Barroso sent an effort from outside the penalty area high over the crossbar.

Less than a minute later, Dor Turgeman threatened for New England, but his right-footed effort was comfortably saved by Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady.

Chicago appeared to have taken the lead in the 12th minute when Philip Zinckernagel found the back of the net from six yards out. However, the goal was disallowed after Robert Lewandowski was ruled offside in the buildup.

Peyton Miller created an opportunity for New England in the 15th minute when he took on two Chicago defenders before unleashing a curling effort that was denied by a diving save from goalkeeper Chris Brady.

Entering the 26th minute, New England took the lead.

Midfielder Carles Gil delivered a cutback pass to find Matt Polster, who fired a right-footed effort into the bottom-left corner of the net to give New England a 1-0 lead.

Chicago threatened in the 38th minute when an initial effort by Maren Haile-Selassie was blocked by New England’s defense before a follow-up attempt by Jonathan Bamba was denied by goalkeeper Matt Turner.

Peyton Miller came close to doubling New England’s advantage in the 41st minute when his left-footed effort narrowly missed the target.

Following one minute of first-half stoppage time, New England entered the halftime break with a 1-0 advantage.

Halftime between New England & Chicago Fire FC

New England emerged from the halftime break on the front foot, quickly advancing the ball and applying pressure in Chicago’s defensive third.

Robert Lewandowski had a golden opportunity to level the match in the 47th minute when he chested down a delivery into the penalty area from Jonathan Bamba before unleashing an effort that was deflected away by Joshua Wynder.

Less than a minute later, goalkeeper Matt Turner produced a fantastic save to deny Anton Salétros, turning his effort behind for a corner kick.

Chicago continued to threaten in the 54th minute when Philip Zinckernagel’s close-range effort was blocked by New England defender Will Sands.

In the 57th minute, Chicago Fire FC defender Andrew Gutman was issued a yellow card for a foul on Carles Gil.

Goalkeeper Matt Turner claims the ball during an MLS match versus Chicago Fire FC. Image Courtesy of Kari Heistad

Peyton Miller created New England’s next opportunity in the 62nd minute when his left-footed effort was denied by a spectacular save from Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady.

In the 64th minute, Revolution head coach Michael Morris made his first substitution of the match, replacing Luca Langoni with Dániel Gazdag.

Chicago Fire FC responded with a triple substitution in the 67th minute, introducing Noah Allen, Anzor Mekvabishvili, and Puso Dithejane in place of Jonathan Bamba, Dje D’Avilla, and Andrew Gutman.

Chicago threatened in the 69th minute when a headed effort by Robert Lewandowski was saved by goalkeeper Matt Turner.

In the 74th minute, Revolution head coach Michael Morris made his second change of the match by replacing Will Sands with Jackson Yueill.

Peyton Miller attempts a first half bicycle kick versus Chicago Fire FC. Image Courtesy of Kari Heistad

Chicago came close to leveling the match in the 77th minute when a delivery toward the back post narrowly evaded both Robert Lewandowski and Puso Dithejane before drifting out of play for a throw-in.

In the 79th minute, Revolution defender Ethan Kohler was issued a yellow card for stopping a promising Chicago attack.

Less than a minute later, Chicago Fire FC head coach Gregg Berhalter made his fourth substitution of the match, replacing Leonardo Barroso with Johan Gomez.

Philip Zinckernagel had another golden opportunity to level the match in the 82nd minute when his effort toward goal was denied by a fantastic save from goalkeeper Matt Turner, who tipped the ball over the crossbar.

In the 86th minute, Revolution head coach Michael Morris made two additional substitutions, introducing Cody Baker and Tanner Beason in place of Dor Turgeman and Ilay Feingold.

Robert Lewandowski battles for a 50/50 ball during a match versus New England Revolution. Image Courtesy of Kari Heistad

Robert Lewandowski threatened once again for Chicago in the 90th minute when his headed effort went just over the bar.

Chicago threatened once more in the third minute of stoppage time when an effort across the six yard box by Anton Saletros went through the box and out for a goal kick.

Following four minutes of second-half stoppage time, the final whistle sounded as New England held on for a 1-0 victory.

Full Time versus Chicago Fire FC.

​Marko Mitrović and the New England Revolution (16-4-10, 52 pts.) are on the road to face Eastern Conference side Philadelphia Union (13-7-10, 46 pts.). The match is set to kickoff at Subaru Park on Saturday, October 24th at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.

(Editor’s Note: For more of Kari Heistad’s photos, click on the link)

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Caleb Pongratz

Hello! My name is Caleb Pongratz. I am a 24-year-old journalist that covers Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro, USL, USL Championship, USL League One, USL League Two & the United States Men's National Team. I'm originally from Hanover, Massachusetts and currently reside in Boston, Massachusetts. Schooling: • Hanover High School (2016-2020) • Suffolk University (2020-2024) - Graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in communications - Broadcast Journalism.

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Tags: Chicago Fire FCEastern ConferenceMatch RecapMatt PolsterMLSMLS Eastern ConferenceNew England Revolution
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