Overcoming VAR and the Clock at Soldier Field

What a whirlwind. 

It was a rough start for the Black and Red, but the intensity ramped up toward the end of the first half and exploded late in the second to secure a surprising, well-deserved 2-1 victory. Even after the Chicago Fire converted their penalty in the 81st minute, our heads didn't drop. Winning at Soldier Field is a massive achievement, especially considering we had managed it only once in the last 10 years, making these three points feel even more significant.

It was nearly a nightmare night for Jackson Hopkins, who was at the center of two incredibly unlucky moments. First, he accidentally wiped out an early goal from the red-hot Tai Baribo by blocking the goalkeeper's vision from an offside position. Later, he committed a blatant handball that led to Chicago's go-ahead goal in the 81st minute, which looked like it might be the winner. But the script flipped quickly.

The response from the squad was incredibly encouraging; instead of crumbling, we hit back immediately. Matti Peltola stepped up in the 84th minute to claim his first career MLS goal with a deflected finish, and the momentum didn't stop there. We kept pushing until a dangerous ball into the box forced a penalty of our own, which Baribo tucked away with clinical precision in the 95th minute. That’s now three goals in four games for him, and he is clearly finding his stride when DC needs him most.

Despite the result, the match was dominated by odd VAR controversies. The penalty call that led to Baribo’s winner has me questioning the handball rule yet again; don't ask me what a "natural position" is because I honestly couldn't tell you. That’s probably exactly what the referee was debating while he stood there listening and staring at the VAR monitor for what felt like ten years with everyone extremely confused and DC players wanting a corner. But honestly, I don't care!! We got the penalty call and the win, and it was a just reward for the effort the team showed which scared the heck out of the Chicago Fire players clearly. The Fire were given ample amount of time to respond with a unfathomable additional 18 MINUTES of extra time (I'm not even kidding) to end of the game. Who knows why.

Are there things for DC United that need to improve? Yes, of course. But step one to achieving a positive trajectory is showing this level of intensity every week. Performances like today show that this group has the grit to stay in the fight. I could certainly get used to seeing Baribo’s celebration every week while he's on this tear. We head to Atlanta next on March 21st; let’s keep this fire moving south.