Ten games into the season and it’s fair to say things haven’t gone exactly how the Chicago Fire envisioned.
The team is mired in a three-game winless streak and has not won since early April, when they beat the Houston Dynamo 2-1. Playing their third straight home game, the Fire will look to get back into the win column when they take on the New England Revolution.
“I just think we need to get results at home. I think that’s the important thing,” coach Frank Klopas said. “We know it won’t be an easy game. You look at the team that is at the bottom of the table. But we know that it is a team with quality. You know, in the league here there is a lot of parity. There are no easy games.”
As Klopas mentioned, the Revolution is at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table. They have only won one game and allowed 18 goals, tied for the most goals allowed in the conference.
That’s good news for the Fire, who haven’t scored a goal in three games. Chicago has only scored 11 goals in ten games. It is one of the reasons why the team is low in the standings.
In order to score, the opportunities have to be present. It’s an area that Kellyn Acosta alluded to during his pre-game press conference.
“I think it’s a combination of moving the ball forward and finding our forward,” Acosta said. “I feel like we have to give them the ball in dangerous areas where they are bringing out their qualities, and I think we haven’t done a good job of moving the ball forward to them in situations.”
In addition to New England’s poor defensive record, they also have the poorest attack in MLS, having scored just six goals all season. In short, it is a game in which the Fire should hope to score three points.
That said, despite the record, this is not a team to be underestimated.
“Yes, they have a good team,” Acosta said. “They have known each other and been around for a few years, the same core group of guys with their number 10, Carles Gil, is a special player. He gets the team going. I think he’s the catalyst for the team and he’s a guy to definitely keep in mind. And from the forwards to the sides, they are a team with a good system and a team that fights until the end.”
These two teams have already faced each other this season and with New England drawing a 1-1 draw against the Fire.
Both teams are in need of a victory, but playing at Soldier Field and given New England’s shortcomings on both sides of the ball, it is a game that, on paper, favors the Fire and where they should come out with a positive result.
