Fire Storm Back to Draw Orlando City 2-2 as Jonathan Bamba Answers Antoine Griezmann

At halftime on Wednesday night, the Chicago Fire's regular-season farewell to Soldier Field looked like it was going to be an awkward one. Orlando City SC were up two goals, Antoine Griezmann had scored a beauty and assisted the other, and Robert Lewandowski had spent 45 minutes finding everything except the back of the net.

Then Gregg Berhalter sent on Jonathan Bamba, and the whole night changed. The winger headed in one goal and set up Maren Haile-Selassie for another, and Chicago Fire FC clawed out a 2-2 draw with Orlando City. Nobody won, but only one locker room felt like it had lost something.

Orlando Land Two Punches

Orlando needed six minutes to draw first blood. Griezmann slipped Iván Angulo in down the left, and Angulo finished from a tight angle into the bottom right corner for his seventh MLS goal of the season.

Chicago responded by laying siege. Anton Salétros forced Maxime Crépeau into a save in the 15th, Lewandowski clipped the right post from the left side of the six-yard box in the 18th, Philip Zinckernagel put a free kick just over in the 22nd, and Crépeau denied Zinckernagel from very close range in the 29th. The Fire were knocking on every door in the building.

Then Orlando walked through one. In the 35th minute, Griezmann took Vinícius Nogueira's pass outside the box and wrapped his left foot around it, and the ball flew into the top left corner. It was his 15th goal across all competitions since joining Orlando in July. It was also a reminder that 23 shots and 58.1 percent possession do not mean much when the other team has a guy who can do that.

Justin Ellis picked up a yellow after a VAR review in first-half stoppage time, and the teams went in at 2-0.

Bamba Flips the Script

Berhalter made one change at the break, sending Bamba on for Sergio Oregel Jr. It took 12 minutes to look like genius. In the 57th, Orlando only half-dealt with an Andrew Gutman cross, Leonardo Barroso sent it back in, and Bamba nodded it home from point-blank range.

Soldier Field woke up. Lewandowski pulled another shot wide in the 66th, but the equalizer arrived three minutes later. After a corner, the ball broke to Bamba, who laid it off for Haile-Selassie, and the winger buried a left-footed shot through the center of the goal from the middle of the box. Two-all, 69 minutes in, and Orlando were suddenly the team hanging on.

They nearly stole it anyway. Chris Brady had to keep out a David Brekalo header from a Griezmann cross in the 85th. At the other end, Lewandowski missed again in the 89th and had a header blocked in stoppage time, and Crépeau saved Bamba's last swing in the 93rd minute. A wild one ended level.

Stars of the Night

Jonathan Bamba was the best player on the field, and he only played a half. Four shots, two on target, a goal and an assist. According to the Fire, it was the first time he scored and assisted in the same match since a 7-1 win at D.C. United on June 7, 2025.

Maren Haile-Selassie now has 12 goals this season, double his previous career high of six, set in 2023, per the club. He leads Chicago in goal contributions.

Antoine Griezmann keeps doing Antoine Griezmann things. A goal and an assist stretched his run of MLS matches with a goal contribution to 12, tying the club record Martín Ojeda set in 2025, according to Orlando. The Lions also say he is the first player in MLS history with a goal contribution in 14 of his first 16 league matches.

Robert Lewandowski is the cautionary tale. Seven shots, a post, and not a single one that forced a save. Some nights the striker is the main character. Some nights he is the guy in the montage who keeps missing the bus.

Maxime Crépeau and Chris Brady made three saves each, and both had moments that kept this from getting out of hand.

Turning Point: The Halftime Swap

Bamba replacing Oregel at the break is the hinge of the whole game. Chicago had dominated the first half without a cutting edge. Bamba gave them a fresh threat and, crucially, end product, and his two involvements came 12 minutes apart. Orlando interim head coach Martín Perelman admitted his side could not defend the way they wanted after the break.

"I think it was a first half where we performed. The guys did a really good effort," Perelman said. "It was obvious they were going to push, they are at their stadium."

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Chicago 23, Orlando 9. Both teams put exactly five on target.
• Possession: Chicago held 58.1 percent and completed 447 passes to Orlando's 304.
• Corners: Chicago won eight to Orlando's three, and the equalizer came from one.
• Clearances: Orlando cleared the ball 29 times to Chicago's 10, the clearest sign of a second-half siege.
• Saves: Three apiece for Brady and Crépeau.

What It Means

Chicago are 15-7-10 with 52 points and, per the club, still fourth in the East with two matches left. The point also locked in their best record at Soldier Field since 2001: nine wins, two draws and five losses. Chicago's 30 home goals matched their 2005 total, third most in club history. Next up is a trip to Colorado on Saturday.

Orlando are 12-7-13 with 43 points, and the club says the draw keeps them in an automatic playoff qualification spot with two regular-season games left. They had already lost to Chicago 2-1 in Orlando in August, and this one stings in a different way. Orlando are unbeaten in five league matches, but they have now drawn 2-2 in back-to-back games after leading in both, including a stoppage-time equalizer conceded to New York City FC last weekend.

"So, at the end of the day, it's a point. We are not happy, but as well, we know how this is, how tough it's on the road, coming to this stadium," Perelman said.

The Closing Take

Orlando played the first half like a heist movie, two clean jobs and out the door. Chicago played the second like the sequel where the crew gets caught in the lobby. A point apiece feels about right, but if you are Orlando, you are going to spend the trip to Charlotte wondering how a two-goal lead turned into a group project.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by OrlandoCitySC.com; club notes from ChicagoFireFC.com.