Alonso Martinez scored off a deflected ball after a corner kick in the 57th minute to help lift New York City FC to a 3-1 win over the host Chicago Fire on Saturday.

The loss was a severe blow to Chicago's chances to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The Fire (12-11-6, 42 points) currently hold the ninth and final spot in the Eastern Conference postseason race.

NYCFC (14-9-5, 47 points) which has only one loss in its last seven matches (5-1-1), is in seventh place in the East.

New York City's Seymour Reid added an insurance goal three minutes into extra time when he drove home a pass from Agustin Ojeda.

The Fire opened the scoring when Philip Zinckernagel hit a right-footed shot from the center of the box in the 13th minute.

Brian Gutierrez started the scoring opportuni

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