It was worth the trip.
First-year Chicago Fire midfielder Dje D’Avilla has a girlfriend and son attend his games both in Chicago and on the road.
The two made the trip to Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sept. 20 and they witnessed his first MLS goal as the Fire stunned Minnesota United FC 3-0.
Joe Waterman scored in the 26th minute in just his second game with the team, D’Avilla added a goal in the 42nd and Peter Zinckernagel scored his 14th of the season in the 70th for the win. Chris Brady earned the clean sheet in the net.
D’Avilla, 22, has been patiently waiting his turn to help the team and his time is now.
“Really happy,” Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said of D’Avilla. “It’s really a question of perseverance in his mindset. To continue to ride through the bumps in the road and to continue to keep going, and now he’s been a solid starter for us.”
D’Avilla knew his support system was in the stands cheering him on. He was asked who he thought about when he put the ball in the net.
“My son with my girlfriend because they are here to support me every game now,” D’Avilla said. “I just want my baby. It’s some support because every game when you are away, you have support from your girlfriend and your baby. I think it’s a good thing to feel here and in Chicago with me.”
The win keeps the Fire (13-11-6) in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 45 points. The eighth- and ninth-place teams play a wild-card game to get into the playoffs. While it will be a task for them to catch eighth-place Columbus (50 points in 31 games), staying ahead of the 10th-place New York Red Bulls (43 points in 31 games) is key.
Minnesota entered the game in second place in the Western Conference but fell to 15-7-9 and is now in third.
The Fire host Columbus at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 27 at Soldier Field.
Stars streak over
The Chicago Stars’ seven-game unbeaten streak is over as they lost 1-0 on the road to the Houston Dash on Sept. 19. Before that, the last time they lost was 1-0 to Portland on June 21. They were 1-0-6 in that span.
Goalie Alyssa Naeher made her seventh regular-season penalty save in the game and had five saves. She now has 697 career regular-season saves in the league.
The Stars (2-10-9) visit the league-leading Kansas City Current at 7 p.m. Sept. 26.
Fire II loses in Philly
The Chicago Fire II lost 5-2 on Sept. 21 to the host Philadelphia Union II in an MLS NEXT Pro game.
After the Fire fell behind 5-0, Jason Shokalock scored two swift goals in the 90th minute and stoppage time.
Chicago (12-8-6) hosts Atlanta at 1 p.m. Sept. 28 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.