Dje D'Avilla shines early to help Fire spoil debut of Timbers coach Martí Cifuentes in 2-1 victory

On Sunday night, the Chicago Fire secured a 2-1 victory against the Portland Timbers, marking the debut of new coach Martí Cifuentes. Dje D Avilla played a pivotal role in the win, scoring his first goal of the season and providing an assist in the first 14 minutes. D’Avilla's assist came on a goal by Robin Lod in the ninth minute, contributing to a 2-0 lead for the Fire.

The Portland defense responded with an assist from defender Andrew Gutman, who had netted his fourth goal overall. Maren Haile-Selassie added a seventh assist of the season on D’Avilla's goal, bringing him one shy of his career high. Finn Surman made history by scoring his first career goal in 51 appearances in the 85th minute, leveling the score at 2-1.

Despite his early defensive efforts, Brandon Bye added his third assist of the season, while Ariel Lassiter, a substitute in the second half, was credited with his fourth assist. Chris Brady contributed one save for the Chicago Fire, which sat at 10-6-2, while Portland (7-9-3) made its first trip to Chicago in eight years. Neither goalkeeper managed a save during the first half of the game.

The Chicago Fire's victory propelled them to third place in the Eastern Conference. The Portland Timbers, now under their fifth head coach, will next host San Diego FC on Wednesday, while the Chicago Fire travel to face Orlando City on the same day.