Chicago Fire: Breaking down the Group B encounters
By Adnan Bašić
With FC Dallas and Nashville SC dropping out of the MLS is Back Tournament, the Chicago Fire moved over to Group B. Here, we break down their three encounters against the Seattle Sounders, San Jose Earthquakes, and Vancouver Whitecaps.
There were always going to be bumps in the road during the MLS is Back Tournament. And thus far, the Chicago Fire have been one of the teams affected most by the present-day circumstances.
Due to FC Dallas and Nashville SC dropping out of the competition, the Men In Red were moved from Group A to Group B. That means they will now face off against the Seattle Sounders, the San Jose Earthquakes, and the Vancouver Whitecaps. It is an admittedly tougher schedule than before, but that doesn’t mean this change is all bad news for the team.
No one’s quite sure what will happen when the games eventually do happen, but here are three things to expect from the new run of fixtures.
3. Another tough test
Unfortunately for the Chicago Fire, their tournament starts with a game against the reigning MLS Cup champions, the Seattle Sounders. Remarkably enough, this will be the second time these two sides have faced off this year. Seattle hosted the Fire during the first week of the regular season.
A close contest throughout, the Men In Red took the lead moments into the start of the second half as Robert Beric smashed a volley into the bottom corner following the clever chest pass by Djordje Mihailovic.
The Sounders, though, equalized 15 minutes later. A low cross made its way towards the back post and Jordan Morris reacted quickest to finish from close range. The U.S. international would then go on to grab the winner, heading home a corner in stoppage time. It was a brutal way to lose for Chicago, but the performance was encouraging.
Now, they have the chance to exact some revenge while not having to worry about a raucous Seattle crowd. If the Fire can start their MLS is Back campaign with a win against the Sounders, they will have made a real statement of intent to the rest of the league.