Joveljić Shines in Seattle Debut After Sporting Kansas City Transfer
Joveljić opened the scoring in the 12th minute, taking a pass from rookie Sebastián Gómez—marking the first assist of his career—and defender Kalani Kossa-Rienzi to net his ninth goal of the season. Joveljić struck again three minutes into the second half, firing a shot from outside the box that beat Chicago goalkeeper Andrew Thomas to put Seattle ahead 2-1. Albert Rusnák recorded his eighth assist on the play, while 19-year-old Snyder Brunell added his second assist of the campaign.
https://x.com/ChicagoFire/status/2093827897463132399
Chicago Fire Responds Through Haile-Selassie and Lewandowski
Chicago Fire answered in the 38th minute when Robert Lewandowski collected the ball with his back to the goal and fed Maren Haile-Selassie, who drove a low shot past the Seattle goalkeeper, as detailed by La Nación. The strike marked Haile-Selassie’s fifth goal of the season, while Lewandowski earned his fourth assist in seven league matches and defender Andrew Gutman picked up his fifth assist of the year. Trailing 2-1 late in the match, Chicago leveled the score in the 82nd minute. Puso Dithejane lofted a cross to the far post, allowing Lewandowski to head home the equalizer. Haile-Selassie contributed his eighth assist of the season on the sequence, matching a career-best mark. With the draw, head coach Gregg Berhalter’s Chicago side climbed to 37 points, sitting third in the Eastern Conference standings two points behind Inter Miami. Seattle moved to 26 points, remaining two points back of Portland for the final playoff position in the Western Conference.
Match Statistics at a Glance
- Final Score: Seattle Sounders 2, Chicago Fire 2
- Date: Saturday
- Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle
- Seattle Scorers: Dejan Joveljić (12′, 48′)
- Chicago Scorers: Maren Haile-Selassie (38′), Robert Lewandowski (82′)
- Standings Impact: Chicago reaches 37 points (3rd in Eastern Conference); Seattle reaches 26 points (Western Conference playoff chase).