Both fighting to end tough runs and climb towards the playoff spots in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference standings, Chicago Fire and Philadelphia Union will square off at Soldier Field on Thursday.
The hosts have dropped to the foot of the division following back-to-back defeats, while their visitors are only two points better off in the midst of a four-match losing streak.
Match preview
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Chicago Fire return to Soldier Field on Thursday with the aim of bouncing back to winning ways and moving off the bottom of the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference table, in what has been another tough campaign in their bid to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Indeed, the Men in Red were alarmingly slow out of the blocks as four straight defeats in May left them on just 10 points from the first 14 outings having won just two of those alongside eight losses, before putting a crucial improved run together in the following weeks, initially stopping the rot with consecutive 1-1 draws against DC United and Orlando City having initially trailed in both contests.
Frank Klopas's side then ended a near-two-month wait for a third MLS win of the campaign by coming from behind to beat Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 at home, before making it back-to-back three-point hauls in style with a 4-1 thrashing of Toronto on their travels thanks to goals from Maren Haile-Selassie, Hugo Cuypers, Mauricio Pineda and Allan Arigoni, but they have been unable to continue their upturn in form in two further attempts since.
Aiming to make it three wins on the bounce and narrow their gap to the playoff spots, the Illinois outfit then visited Orlando City and suffered a 4-2 loss, despite Haile-Selassie and Cuypers reducing the deficit in the second half, before they most recently met Seattle Sounders at the weekend and came away empty-handed in agonising fashion, having led until the hour mark through Haile-Selassie, only for Albert Rusnak to level the game and net an injury-time winner with two penalties.
Now left demoralised having seen their improved streak brought to an abrupt end, Chicago Fire again find themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 18 points on the board from 20 outings, six points behind the playoff wildcard spots and eight behind the top seven, and they will be desperate to bounce back on Thursday with the chance to leapfrog their visitors and begin narrowing the gap again.
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In their way stand a Philadelphia Union side in the midst of a tough run of their own, having dropped down to 12th spot following an extended rut in the MLS.
Like Thursday's hosts, the Union have only managed four league wins so far this term, three of which came consecutively in an unbeaten start which left them on 13 points from their opening seven outings, only to manage just one more triumph from their 14 attempts since.
That lone three-point haul came in a 3-0 victory away at New England Revolution in mid-May, ending a six-match winless streak, but Jim Curtin's side would instantly slip into another drought, initially playing out three straight draws before suffering four defeats on the bounce heading into Thursday's trip.
After suffering 2-1, 4-3 and 2-0 beatings at the hands of Inter Miami, FC Cincinnati and Charlotte FC, Curtin's men most recently visited CF Montreal on Sunday and again came away empty-handed, despite twice going ahead through Quinn Sullivan and Jesus Bueno in the first half, as Josef Martinez and Bryce Duke pegged them back before Dominik Yankov finally put the hosts ahead in the 89th minute and Ruan put the game out of sight in injury time.
With the latest winless streak now standing at seven MLS games, Philadelphia Union find themselves four points outside of the Eastern Conference's top nine and six behind the playoff places, and they will now bid to kickstart an upturn in form with a crucial return to winning ways on Thursday.
Team News
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Chicago Fire will remain without key man Xherdan Shaqiri, who is away on international duty with Switzerland at Euro 2024, while Andrew Gutman, Chase Gasper, Tobias Salquist and Federico Navarro are all set to remain sidelined by injuries.
Their line will again be spearheaded by Hugo Cuypers, who leads his side's scoring charts with seven goals so far this season, and Maren Haile-Selassie who has scored in three consecutive games heading into Thursday's meeting.
Kellyn Acosta will fight to come back into the midfield from the outset, having settled for a substitute appearance on Sunday with Fabian Herbers, Brian Gutierrez and Gaston Gimenez preferred, while Mauricio Pineda should replace Carlos Teran in the back three from the start after coming on in the first half against Vancouver Whitecaps due to an injury concern.
Philadelphia Union are unable to call on attacker Julian Carranza, who officially departed for Feyenoord at the beginning of July after an injury-hit first half to the campaign, while fellow attacker Mikael Uhre is set to remain confined to the treatment room alongside goalkeeper Andre Blake, midfielder Alejandro Bedoya and attacker Markus Anderson.
Given those absences, plenty of attacking responsibility will fall on Daniel Gazdag, who has notched up 10 goals in 16 MLS appearances so far this term, and after making a substitute appearance at the weekend on his return from international duty with Hungary at Euro 2024, he should come back in from the start at Soldier Field.
He may be joined Tai Baribo up front, while Quinn Sullivan remains a danger man on the right wing and Jesus Bueno, Jack McGlynn and Leon Flach will again complete the midfield four in the absence of Jose Martinez, who is on international duty at the Copa America with Venezuela.
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Brady; Souquet, Pineda, Czichos; Arigoni, Herbers, Acosta, Gutierrez, Dean; Cuypers, Haile-Selassie
Philadelphia Union possible starting lineup:
Rick; Harriel, Glesnes, Elliott, Wagner; Sullivan, Flach, Bueno, McGlynn; Baribo, Glesnes
We say: Chicago Fire 1-1 Philadelphia Union
Both teams head into Thursday's contest lacking confidence and momentum as a result of their recent ruts, and we anticipate a hard-fought game with three crucial points on the line.
Having both struggled for consistent victories, we see a low-scoring draw as the most likely outcome and anticipate the sides sharing the spoils at Soldier Field.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Sam Varley
