This one burns deep.
Seven assist providers, five different scorers and a hat trick – all in a day’s work for Chicago Fire FC.
Tom Barlow’s first MLS hat trick stole the headlines Saturday evening, as the visitors crushed D.C. United, 7-1, to help Gregg Berhalter's squad climb back into the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs places in the Eastern Conference.
Unlikely hat-trick hero
Barlow made the most of his first start of the season, delivering a clinical performance in the nation’s capital. He netted goals in the 30th, 44th and 65th minutes, setting the tone for what would be a long night for the hosts.
“I did think about it for a second. It did pop in my head,” shared Barlow about the potential of notching a hat trick. “I thought it would be nice to get that third one, and when it went in, I was very happy.
"Most importantly, though, we got the win.”
Barlow’s hat trick marks the first for the Fire since Oct. 15, 2017, when Nemanja Nikolić netted one against the Philadelphia Union at SeatGeek Stadium.
“I remember watching him for the Fire – he was obviously an incredible goal scorer,” Barlow told reporters at Audi Field. “To be the first to do it since him is pretty special.”
Multi-faceted attack
Chicago now boast the second-most potent offense in MLS with 35 goals through 16 matches. They trail only Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and the rest of Inter Miami’s star-studded squad for the league lead.
It wasn’t just about scoring them. Seven different players notched assists, including two from left back Andrew Gutman, who now sits at eight goal contributions this season (2g/6a).
“He did it in training this week, you know,” Berhalter said of Gutman. “Andrew is a guy who has had a solid season so far, and we want to continue to grow and push him to new heights.”
No Cuypers, no problem
On a night when Chicago put seven past the opposition's goalkeeper, few would have expected that Belgian striker Hugo Cuypers wouldn’t appear on the scoresheet. Yet the DP No. 9 and club-record signing missed out with a lower-body injury.
“They [D.C. United] outplayed us in the first game at home and we wanted revenge. We talked with a lot of the guys who haven’t been getting playing time,” shared Berhalter. “We talked about, ‘We need them. We need them desperately.’”
Swiss midfielder Maren Haile-Selassie notched his first of the year, while Jonathan Bamba and Philip Zinckernagel added their third and seventh goals of the season, respectively.
The Fire now shift their focus to Nashville SC, a team that scored seven against them earlier this season, when the sides meet at Soldier Field next Saturday (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
“We went to their place and it wasn’t a good result for us, and that’s something we want to prepare for, especially at home," Barlow said. "I’m focused on getting back to training, getting back to work.”
