This weekend was rough. While it’s not quite the situation we had the last time there was a mid-week game, there’s something very frustrating about the 1-1 draw that the Chicago Fire were handed on Sunday after a highly controversial red card. Sunday was really their best chance for a win on the road this season, but now they’re going to have to work even harder to pick up some points at home against an New York City FC team that’s been as hot as they get in the Eastern Conference. Let’s see who won’t be available for this one.
There are only two major absences going into this one. For NYCFC, their big loss is Heber, who’s been out all season already with a knee injury. For the Chicago Fire, despite the possibility of an appeal, Wyatt Omsberg is still suspended as of writing this article. Returning for NYCFC from the Gold Cup is James Sands and former Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson, though it will be a tight window from the final to this match so whether they will appear is still up in the air.
Here are three things to look out for on Wednesday.
The Impression That I Get
On Sunday, a lot of Chicago Fire fans got a very pleasant surprise before the game when they found out that the starting striker wasn’t Robert Beric, but Chinonso Offor. And while the start of the game looked surprisingly potent from the attack, the red card derailed everything. So, that attack still hasn’t truly been tested. At least not completely. But there was something there if it was good enough to not just score a goal, but keep the Philadelphia Union on the back-foot in Chester.
Due to it being a mid-week game and just general possible rotation in the squad, I’m not sure if we’re going to get the same lineup in this one. But I hope that we do, because it’s an attack that many fans have wanted to see for a while now. The moment that a man gets sent off, you have to drastically change the way you play. I would like to see Offor up top without the added weirdness of a second choice side behind him, a late-game appearance, or having to deal with a red card. He needs his chance.
The Battle for America
In a surprising twist to many old school Chicago Fire fans, the New York Red Bulls, formerly the New York/New Jersey Metrostars, are no longer considered the Fire’s main East Coast rivals. Instead, that title belongs to New York City FC in what was jokingly nicknamed years ago, “The Battle for America”. And while it seems weird to suddenly declare a rivalry, the concept does have legs. Some exciting games have been produced between the two, with a little under half of all league matchups seeing five total goals scored in the game. There’s also history for players. The story goes that the Chicago Fire traded Sean Johnson to Atlanta United to allow him to play closer to home, only for Atlanta to trade “The Milkman” to NYCFC for even more than what they sent Chicago.
Probably the most interesting thing to note relates to the point I make after this one. In must-win games, the Chicago Fire somehow always come up against a New York team and lose in highly dramatic fashion. In Veljko Paunovic’s first game coaching the Fire in 2016, the Fire lost a 3-4 thriller at home to NYCFC. When the Fire needed just a draw to make the playoffs in 2013, they lost in the last game of the season against the New York Red Bulls 2-5. And just last season, the Fire again only needed a point to make the playoffs on points per game, but they faltered at home to lose another game to NYCFC 3-4.
If this is a must win game, it’s very fitting that it will come against a team from New York. And even more fitting that it will be against NYCFC.
To The End
At this point, is this the end of the season for the Chicago Fire yet? While slightly ahead of Inter Miami on points, the Fire have the lowest points per game in the entire league. Luckily, at this point the Fire are not on pace for the record lowest points in a season, but they may not end far off if things continue. So that sets the stage for this big question.
It is still way too early in the season to start mathematically eliminating teams from the playoffs, but looking at the Fire’s on-pitch product and their upcoming schedule, it’s hard to say that they’re contending for anything. After this final home stretch of three games this coming week, the Fire will be away from home for six straight games, along with another three game road trip in October. With the Fire’s well-documented failures on the road, this is the last chance for the club to build momentum to try for a very late playoff push.
Pretty much, it is do or die time for the Fire. If they can’t at least get 7 points out of the next three games, then we can say that this season is effectively over.
Projected XI
Chicago Fire (5-2-2-1): Bobby Shuttleworth; Miguel Navarro, Francisco Calvo, Mauricio Pineda, Johan Kappelhof, Boris Sekulic; Alvaro Medran, Gaston Gimenez; Ignacio Aliseda, Przemyslaw Frankowski; Chinonso Offor
New York City FC (4-2-3-1): Sean Johnson; Gudmunder Thorarinsson, James Sands, Maxime Chanot, Anton Tinnerholm; Keaton Parks, Nicolas Acevedo; Thiago, Jesus Medina, Maximiliano Moralez; Valentin Castellanos
How To Watch
Wednesday, August 4th, 7:00PM CDT; At Soldier Field in Chicago, IL, broadcasting on WGN and online through the Chicago Fire website