The Chicago Fire come into their Sunday fixture at SeatGeek Stadium in desperate need of a victory to remain in the MLS playoff race when they host New York City FC.
With nine games to play, Chicago are 12th in the Eastern Conference, losing 4-1 last weekend to the Philadelphia Union, while the Pigeons have lost three in a row, moving them into third, a point back of CF Montreal.
Match preview
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In the unpredictable world of Major League Soccer, all it takes sometimes is one poor performance for all your great work to feel like nothing, and the Fire experienced that last Saturday as the Union ended their five-match unbeaten run.
Ezra Hendrickson's men went from being in a playoff position at the start of that match to dropping into 12th, where they are now with five teams to try and overtake.
For a side with so much to play for at this stage of the season, they looked flat through much of the opening half versus Philly, going down by two at the half and failing to generate many chances.
Chicago are unbeaten in three straight matches in the Windy City and have not conceded a goal in any of those encounters.
They ended July with some robust and compact defending along the back end, conceding just once in their final three games of that month, however, they have failed to maintain that consistency in August, being outscored 6-3 in their last two matches.
When firing home the opening goal, they have looked quite comfortable and capable of playing their game, winning five of their last six domestic fixtures in which they tallied first.
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What has been a hot and cold spell of matches under interim boss Nick Cushing has caused many to question the defending MLS champions and their potential for the remainder of the season.
Some shocking giveaways in Miami cost them points last Saturday, and this team looked equally poor defensively in midweek against Charlotte FC.
Coming into the final month of the summer, the Pigeons had a shutout streak spanning four successive encounters, but for whatever reason, their defensive wall has been broken down easily in August, with New York conceding three goals in each of their last three matches, all of which ended in defeat.
It is by no means a catastrophe, as they are currently third in the Eastern Conference and nine points above the playoff line, but the departure of Valentin Castellanos and the long-term injury to Keaton Parks seems to be affecting this team more than we had anticipated.
They have started well lately, tallying the opener in two of their last three games, but have looked too complacent when going in front and have paid the price as a result.
Cushing has urged his players to come together and get through this demanding spell, as his side have made an uncharacteristic amount of mental errors in recent weeks.
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Team News
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Xherdan Shaqiri has four assists in his last four matches, setting up their only goal last Saturday scored by Chris Mueller, his sixth of the campaign, Javier Casas made his third appearance of the season for Chicago in that encounter, while Kacper Przybylko continues to lead them in goals with five.
Federico Navarro sits second in the league in tackles won (51) behind only Claudio Bravo, while Gabriel Slonina is tied with Andre Blake for second in clean sheets this season with 10.
Carlos Teran and Stanislav Ivanov remain out with right thigh issues, Wyatt Omsberg has a problem with his left foot and Jhon Espinoza will not be available because of a right knee injury.
Maxime Chanot had the only tally for the Boys in Blue at home to Charlotte earlier this week, his first of the campaign, while Alfredo Morales picked up his second assist this year.
Sean Johnson has conceded nine goals in his last three games but still leads the league in clean sheets with 12, Santiago Rodriguez has eight assists, while fellow Brazilians Talles Magno and Heber have scored six goals each.
Tayvon Gray remains questionable with a knock, Gabriel Pereira has a lower body issue, Alexander Callens has an MCL problem and Keaton Parks has a calf injury.
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Slonina; M. Navarro, Czichos, Pineda, Sekulic; Gimenez, F. Navarro; Mueller, Shaqiri, Herbers; Przybylko
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Johnson; Tinnerholm, Chanot, Martins, Amundsen; Zelalem, Moralez; Acevedo, Rodriguez, Magno; Heber
We say: Chicago Fire 2-0 New York City FC
Something just doesn't seem right with the defending champions at the moment, and the Fire should be able to take advantage of that this week in a game that means a lot more to them than it does to the visitors.
The Pigeons seem to be missing a little imagination and creativity in the attack right now, while they look unusually disorganized along the backline.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
