Quick second half goals lead Orlando City past Fire

Wilder Cartagena and Iván Angulo each scored within five minutes of the second half to lead Orlando City to a 3-1 win over host Chicago Fire on Sunday.

Orlando City (11-6-7, 40 points) has been one of the best teams in MLS for the past three months, posting a 7-2-5 record in its last 14 regular-season games.

The loss ended Chicago’s three-game winning streak, which all came on the road, and the Fire (8-8-8, 32 points) is now 5-2-0 in its last seven games. Both losses came to the Lions, who recorded another 3-1 victory over the Fire in Orlando on July 1.

Facundo Torres scored Orlando City’s other goal on Sunday, converting a penalty kick in the 68th minute. It was Torres’ eighth goal of the season and his third in two games against Chicago.

After a goalless first half, the teams broke out with three goals and two lead changes in the first eight minutes of the second half.

Chicago opened the scoring in the 47th minute. Miguel Navarro’s long downfield pass found Mauricio Pineda in the box, and Pineda finished for his first goal of the season.

The Lions responded quickly with the equalizing and go-ahead goals. Cartagena headed in a corner in the 50th minute for his first MLS goal, and Angulo followed in the 54th minute with another header to deposit a loose ball in front of the Chicago net.

It was a surprising defensive break for a Fire team coming off back-to-back clean sheets in three straight regular-season games. Cartagena’s goal ended the Fire’s goalless streak at 335 minutes, spanning parts of five games.

The Fire thought they had opened the scoring with Georgios Koutsias’s goal in the 25th minute. However, a video review disallowed the goal as Koutsias was ruled offside.

Fire assistant coach CJ Brown was the interim head coach Sunday as Frank Klopas missed the game after testing positive for COVID-19.

—Field level media