Chicago Fire FC's Leagues Cup campaign came to an abrupt end on Tuesday night, as they fell 2-1 to CF Monterrey at SeatGeek Stadium in the quarterfinals.
Orbelín Pineda's stunning 83rd-minute strike proved to be the decisive blow, as Monterrey advanced to the semifinals and set up a date with either the Columbus Crew or Club América next week.
The LIGA MX outfit took the lead at the stroke of halftime via Víctor Guzmán's close-range header. Earlier, Monterrey had a gilt-edged opportunity to open the score, but Lucas Ocampos smashed his penalty kick off the post after Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady fouled ex-Fire striker Hugo Cuypers inside the box.
Philip Zinckernagel's 59th-minute leveller provided a spark for Chicago, only for Pineda to bury their hopes and secure passage for Monterrey with a world-class volley.
The loss marks a disappointing end to the Leagues Cup campaign for the Chicago Fire, who were seeking to build momentum ahead of the MLS regular season. Monterrey, meanwhile, will look to build on this result as they return to LIGA MX action.
Monterrey will face either the Columbus Crew or Club América in the semifinals, with the winner of that tie set to face the winner of the other semifinal matchup.
Source: Yahoo Sports