Fire shut out Rapids for fourth consecutive home victory

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (AP) — Nemanja Nikolic scored two goals, Michael de Leeuw had two assists and the Chicago Fire beat the Colorado Rapids 3-0 on Wednesday night for their fourth straight home victory.

Nikolic had his ninth and 10th goals of the season to break a tie with Houston’s Eric Torres for the MLS lead. The Fire (5-3-3) are unbeaten in their last nine at home and hold a 21-8 scoring advantage during that span.

Nikolic opened the scoring in the 15th minute, putting through a header from the penalty spot. David Accam then found net for fifth time, burying a loose ball in the 57th minute. Nikolic added the exclamation point in the 74th minute, taking advantage of de Leeuw’s fast-break opportunity. De Leeuw pushed the ball behind the Colorado defense, then found a streaking Nikolic for the goal.

Shkelzen Gashi had an opportunity for the Rapids (2-7-1) in the 72nd minute, but his shot was saved by Matt Lampson.