28 July 2023 , 21:28
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Chicago Fire's Xherdan Shaqiri showed his experience as he dispatched a penalty past despite being on the receiving end of an X-rated taunt.
The former Liverpool midfielder was tasked with levelling the score from the spot with his team trailing to Minnesota United. With the score at 1-0, opposition stopper Dayne St. Clair decided to resort to mind games to try and put the 31-year-old off. The 26-year-old was seen on camera mouthing the message "you have no balls", to the bemusement of the Swiss international, who seemed to shake off the jibe with good humour and some words of his own.
Despite the Canadian's antics, Shaqiri looked like the coolest man at Allianz Field as he placed the ball on the penalty spot. Channelling the talent that took him to a host of Europe's most famous clubs, the diminutive star then sent St. Clair the wrong way to equalise for The Men in Red. But the episode did not end there, with the ex-Stoke City man spotted gesturing towards his new foe as he made his way towards the centre-circle.
This latest strike was Shaqiri's 11th in 51 outings since moving stateside in 2022, with the one-time Anfield cult hero having made a significant impression so far this term. After he scored, however, it was Minnesota who responded best as they took the lead once more, with Bongokuhle Hlongwane grabbing a brace. Their joy would not last, though, with the game real sparking into life during the final 15 minutes.
From there, two more strikes from Frank Klopas' team ensured victory for the Chicago Fire, with their second equaliser of the night coming from Arnaud Souquet in the 79th minute. With the game on a knife edge and with penalties looming, veteran forward Kei Kamara rolled back the years to notch his sixth strike of the season so far in all competitions to win the Leagues Cup clash in the 83rd minute.
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The Sierra Leonean striker silenced the crowd at his former stomping ground with a towering header, before celebrating with a selfie with a supporter. The victory meant that the Fire won a fourth game in a row before their Leagues Cup clash against Mexican opposition in the form of Puebla on August 1.
The Illinois outfit currently occupy a playoff spot in the MLS Eastern Conference, sitting in eighth place in the standings with 23 rounds played. They have a bit of a wait before their next MLS fixture, however, with their next outing coming on August 21 versus Orlando City at Soldier Field and will be hoping to go one better than last season, where they failed to qualify for the playoffs.