Chicago Fire: 5 takeaways from MLS Is Back Tournament
By Adnan Bašić
They may have started strong, but the Chicago Fire fell at the first hurdle at the MLS is Back Tournament. Here are five takeaways from their time in Orlando.
The Chicago Fire’s 2020 season has come to a close, for now, as the team were eliminated from the MLS is Back tournament last Thursday. After beating the Seattle Sounders, the league’s reigning champions, the Men In Red then lost to the San Jose Earthquakes and the Vancouver Whitecaps, finishing in fourth place in Group B as a result.
Despite the solid start, Fire supporters were left disappointed to see their side leave the competition early and had to watch other teams compete in the knockout stages of the competition.
After their early exit, here are five takeaways from their time in Orlando.
5. Not good enough
Simply put, the Chicago Fire should have made the knockout rounds. Things were chaotic to start as they were moved from Group A to Group B after FC Dallas and Nashville SC were forced to pull out due to multiple positive tests. The team responded well, snatching a win in their opening game against Seattle. The Fire were admittedly lucky on the day, mostly capitalizing on mistakes made by the opposition, but it was still an excellent result.
However, that was the high point of their campaign. They were extremely poor in the other two games. They never got going versus San Jose and eventually fell apart late on. They then looked a little more threatening when against the Whitecaps but their defensive frailties cost them at the other end and they conceded goals way too easily.
At the end of the day, the Fire deserved to be eliminated. Fans had gotten their hopes up, especially after the Seattle victory, but they were ultimately left upset and let down with their team’s showings.