MLS NEXT Pro Chicago Fire FC II

Chicago Fire Weekly Update

Published on August 28, 2023 under MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Chicago Fire FC II News Release


CHICAGO RETURNS TO THE LAKEFRONT VS. VANCOUVER

Chicago hopes to bounce back into their winning ways in the midweek match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday, August 30 at Soldier Field. First kick between the two sides is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and can be streamed on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Wednesday marks just the 13th time the two sides have met since the Whitecaps' arrival to MLS in 2011. Despite the Fire's all-time record of 3-6-3 against Vancouver, it was Chicago getting the better of the Canadian side the last time these two teams met during the 2022 season. Chicago claimed the road victory over Vancouver with a 3-1 win that saw Designated Player Xherdan Shaqiri and midfielder Chris Mueller record a goal and an assist each en route to lifting Chicago to their third win in a row and their first road victory in Vancouver in franchise history.

This time around, it'll be Chicago hosting the contest, in what will be the first matchup between the two sides at Soldier Field. Chicago holds an all-time home record of 2-1-3 against the 'Caps and looks to improve that record this Wednesday evening.

The Whitecaps (9-8-7, 34 points) come into the contest with good form, winning three of their last four contests in league play and lifting themselves above the playoff line, currently sitting in seventh place of a log-jammed Western Conference. Vancouver is led by the pair of productive forwards Ryan Gauld and Brian White who currently share the Whitecap golden boot with nine goals each. Gauld also leads the team in assists this season as well with seven.

Chicago does come into the match both gaining and losing key contributors to their lineup, losing midfielder Gaston Giménez after he acquired a red card in the loss against the Galaxy on Saturday. On the other hand, the Fire will get midfielder/defender Mauricio Pineda back after having served a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. If Pineda appears in the midweek contest, it will be his 100th career regular season appearance, making him the first Homegrown in franchise history to reach the centennial mark.

THREE GAMES IN EIGHT DAYS FOR CHICAGO

Following Wednesday's contest against the Whitecaps, Chicago travels east to face Eastern Conference foe D.C. United on Saturday, September 2. Due to the match taking place on the East Coast, the match is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. CT at Audi Field.

D.C. United (8-12-6, 30 points) is a much more familiar foe for the Fire, with Chicago having an all-time record of 28-25-22 against the team based out of the nation's capital. With Saturday's contest being the 76th all-time regular season match between the two sides, D.C. United has now passed the Columbus Crew for second-most all-time contests against the Fire.

On top of the historical significance, there's also the playoff race. As it stands, the Fire are only two points above D.C. for the ninth and final playoff spot, making Saturday's contest a crucial one for both sides. Earlier this season, the two sides would have to settle for a point each, with the match resulting in a 0-0 draw on April 1, 2023 at Soldier Field. Despite the draw, the match saw Homegrown goalkeeper Chris Brady record his first career MLS clean sheet, making him the seocnd-youngest goalkeeper in MLS history to record a shutout. He trailed only former Fire Homegrown Gaga Slonina, who had accomplished the feat a year prior.

D.C. is led by Congolese forward Christian Benteke, who leads the side with eight goals in the 2023 campaign. Benteke, a 32-year old Designated Player, is currently in his second season with D.C. and has served as captain in the absence of defender Steve Birbaum. Another key contributor to D.C.'s success this season has been Polish midfielder Mateusz Klich, who leads the team with seven assists.

Chicago Fire FC looks to continue their playoff push in the nation's capital as they go on the road to face D.C. United on Saturday, September 2 at 6:30 p.m. CT at Audi Field.

FIRE II CLING ONTO PLAYOFF POSITION

Chicago Fire FC II fell to New York Red Bulls II 5-4 on Sunday evening, in what was an offensive outpour from both sides. With the loss, the Fire fell to seventh place of the Eastern Conference table. With 37 points, the Fire are four points inside of the playoff line, sitting above Philadelphia Union II for the final spot in the postseason.

Despite the loss, the Fire saw very promising performances from their second team, with Homegrown forward Alex Monis recording yet another goal, picking up his sixth of the season. At the time of his goal, he joined a three-way tie for the Fire II golden boot, before midfielder Billy Hency scored off a perfectly placed ball from Guyanese winger Omari Glasgow to give Chicago a brief lead in the contest. With his goal, Hency now leads Fire II with seven goals this season.

Later in the contest, the Fire made a strong push as they searched for the tie. Recenty signed defender Andreas Ueland wore the captain's armband with purpose, scoring his first career MLS NEXT Pro goal for Chicago Fire FC II and bringing the side within one.

The Red Bulls lead would be too insurmountable of a hill to climb as the Fire would eventually fall in regulation, seeing New York clinch a playoff berth. The Fire hope to continue their playoff push and clinch a spot of their own, with the Fire only having three more regular season matches. The Fire will observe a bye weekend before resuming play against Sporting Kansas City II on Sunday, September 10 at 4 p.m. CT.

Check out the Chicago Fire FC II Statistics

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