Chicago Fire: Mo Adams, the big game player
By Adnan Bašić
After another stellar performance against the New York Red Bulls, Mo Adams proved he’s become the Chicago Fire’s big game player
The Chicago Fire’s 2019 season received the shot in the arm it desperately needed on Saturday as the Men In Red defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0 at SeatGeek Stadium. It was a result that surprised many. The Fire had been poor to start the year, while the Red Bulls came in as the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners. But this was a rejuvenated Chicago Fire.
A big reason why the Fire picked up the three points on the day was Mo Adams, who was named the Man of the Match and cemented himself as the someone who the Fire can turn to in the big games.
Adams had seemingly only come into the team due to squad rotation, as Djordje Mihailovic needed a rest after representing the United States U-23 side during the international break. With Bastian Schweinsteiger dropping into center-back, head coach Veljko Paunovic turned to Adams to fill in the gap in the middle of the park. Coming in alongside Dax McCarty, Adams was tasked with slowing down a Red Bulls attack that typically scored for fun against the Fire.
It wasn’t the first time he had been deployed against the Red Bulls. Adams made his MLS and Chicago Fire debut last season against New York in one of the opening games of the campaign when both teams were in a similar position as this year. Coming into the game as a rookie, few knew much about him, but his performance on that day very quickly made him someone to watch out for. The Englishman helped the Fire steal a shock win on the road by flustering the Red Bulls, who only managed to score once late on.
It was a similar performance from Adams on Saturday, who once again sat in the middle of the park and disrupted the Red Bulls attack. He refused to over commit to any challenges, instead forcing New York to find a way around him. He kept it simple on the ball as well, making the smart pass. He didn’t give away any poor turnovers. With him protecting the backline, it was easier for the Fire attack to have the freedom going forward, which helped them grab the eventual game-winning goal.
A player like Adams won’t be needed every week. As one of the more talented teams in the league, the Fire will go into a number of games as favorites. Opposing sides will look to simply frustrate Chicago by sitting back and absorbing pressure, so the Men In Red will need all the playmakers they can fit on the field at once. Adams can help keep possession and make easy passes, but he has yet to develop that match-winning ability on the ball. It will come in due course, but his role, for now, is primarily a defensive, organisational one.
That said, the Fire will be underdogs once again at the weekend. Chicago travels up north to face Toronto FC, who have been one of the biggest surprise packages of the season so far. After losing Sebastian Giovinco and Victor Vazquez in the offseason, many thought the team was set to collapse. They haven’t. In fact, they are now the only team left in the league to have won every game this year.
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He’s only played once, but new Designated Player Alejandro Pozuelo is already one of the most exciting talents in MLS. The Spaniard torched New York City FC last weekend, scoring twice and assisting one goal in a dominant victory. If the Fire want any chance of getting a result against Toronto, they will have to slow him down.
That is where Adams comes into play. He has proven he can man-mark the best MLS has to offer. He shut down Ignacio Piatti when the Montreal Impact came to Chicago last season. Should he be called upon, Adams will be tasked with following Pozuelo all around the field, cutting off any passing lanes to and from the Spaniard, which will be key in frustrating the Toronto attack. If he cannot create, the Fire backline will have a much easier time dealing with the rest of the team.
The scariest thing is that Adams won’t be turning 23 until the final stretch of the season. With Schweinsteiger and McCarty in the twilight of their careers, it won’t be long until he will be needed to become a consistent starter. Alongside 20-year-old Djordje Mihailovic and 23-year-old Brandt Bronico, Chicago has a bright future ahead in the midfield.
If the Fire wants any hope of making the playoffs this season, they will need to win a couple of games against the better teams in this league. The good thing is, when those games do come, they know they can turn to Adams to get the job done and he won’t let them down. He is the Chicago Fire’s big game player, and he is bloody good at it.