The good news for the Chicago Fire is that the MLS debut of Los Angeles star Son Heung-Min was a box-office bonanza in Bridgeview.

An announced crowd of 19,831 was on hand at SeatGeek Stadium on Aug. 9 to see the 33-year-old South Korean, who was signed last week  for a reported league-record $26.5 million through 2027.

While he was good for attendance, he was not so kind to the Fire on the field. The former Tottenham Hotspur entered the game in the 61st minute. In the 77th minute, he drew a penalty and teammate Denis Bouanga converted to help prevent the Fire from winning in a 2-2 draw.

“He’s going to be a great player in this league,” Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said of Heung-Min. “It’s nice that the league gets players like that. He’s probably the best Asian player in the history of soccer, so it’s exciting for the entire league.

“But our guys weren’t intimidated and I think they did a fine job.”

Carlos Teran scored in the 11th minute for the Fire (10-9-6) and Jonathan Bamba scored in the 70th.

The Fire returns to SeatGeek Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 16 to face St. Louis.

Stars tie Bay

With Bay FC coming to town, the Chicago Stars were crossing their fingers for a win. The team’ lone win this season came against Bay April 13 on the  road.

But it didn’t happen. The Stars settled for a 1-1 tie on Aug. 10 at SeatGeek Stadium in a NWSL game.

Shea Groom scored in the 42nd minute for the Stars (1-9-5) in front of an announced crowd of 3,624.

The Red Stars visit Seattle at 9 p.m. Aug. 18.

Fire II play to draw

Most of the time, a three-goal offensive output in soccer is considered a strong effort.

But the way the Chicago Fire II have been playing of late, it pales in comparison.

The Fire tied New York City 3-3 on Aug.  8 and won the shootout for the extra point at Ichan Stadium in New York in an MLS NXT Pro game.

That comes after the Fire II (10-5-5) scored 15 goals in their previous two games.

New York (7-8-6) roared out to a 2-0 lead in the first 21 minutes. But the Fire were able to tie it at 2-2 on an own goal and one from Claudio Cessano.

After New York took a 3-2 lead in the 59th minute, Jason Shokalook scored his 12th goal of the season in the 70th minute.

The Fire II host Philadelphia Union 2 at 7 p.m. Aug. 15 at SeatGeek Stadium.

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