Chicago fire wins and Marco Pappa make hattrick!

A hat trick from Marco Pappa helped the Chicago Fire earn a surprising 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake on Wednesday to keep their playoff hopes alive. Pappa scored twice in the opening half and added a third 15 minutes from time, as the Fire claimed only their second road win of the year. With the win, Chicago (36 points) sits just three points shy of the final wild card playoff spot, currently held by Red Bull New York (39 points).

It is just the third home loss of the season for Real Salt Lake, which has already clinched a playoff berth. It has lost two straight league matches after falling to D.C. United 4-1 on Saturday. Chicago continues to...