The Major League Soccer regular season enters month No. 3 this weekend, and it’s one that figures to test the mettle of the Men In Red more than the just-completed month of April. After playing only two matches in 34 days, the Chicago Fire (3-3-0, 9 points) now are set for five games in the month ahead, beginning Sunday at Sporting KC (2-2-4, 10 points).
The match leads off MLS' weekly Soccer Sunday lineup, kicking off at 4 p.m. CT with ESPN2 carrying the national broadcast. The match also will stream live via WatchESPN.
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<b>Maloney, Adailton Preview SKC </b> |
Top Form
• The Chicago Fire, whose last road game was on March 22, enter the weekend having won three straight matches -- all at home against fellow Eastern Conference sides -- for the first time since 2013, giving the Men In Red the longest active winning streak in MLS. The six goals scored by Chicago over the last four games have come from six different contributors: Harry Shipp, Adailton, Joevin Jones, Shaun Maloney, Jeff Larentowicz and David Accam.
• The form and results of the Fire have caught the attention of national MLS pundits. The club has made a considerable rise in the Major League Soccer power rankings, while MLSsoccer.com’s Matthew Doyle has noted the Fire “playing more intricate, attacking soccer by the week.” Likewise, Soccer America’s Paul Kennedy delivered praise to David Accam, Shaun Maloney and others contributing to the recent winning streak.
Chicago Fire vs. Sporting KC
• A charter member of Major League Soccer, Sporting KC played its first nine seasons in the league as a member of the Western Conference before shifting to the Eastern Conference prior to the 2005 campaign. But with the addition of Orlando City SC and NYCFC to the MLS fold in 2015, Sporting KC returned to its roots this year and is once again a member of the Western Conference -- making this weekend’s meeting the first and only fixture of the year between the two clubs.
• The Fire and Sporting KC have split their six regular-season meetings over the last two seasons to the tune of two wins, two losses and one draw for each side. The Men In Red own a 25-13-11 all-time edge in the series and are 8-9-9 in 26 road matches against Sporting KC.
• Sunday marks the third straight game in the series to be played at Sporting Park, where the teams played to a 1-1 draw last July before Sporting claimed a 2-0 win on Oct. 10, 2014. A Mike Magee brace on May 18 allowed the Men In Red to defend home turf in the series’ first fixture of the year. The Fire’s last victory in KC came in the 2012 campaign.
• Sean Johnson boasts four career shutouts against Sporting KC, more than any other opponent. His last came on Aug. 23, 2013 in a 1-0 win at Toyota Park. Three of those four shutouts came on the road. Johnson is 5-2-3 all-time against Sporting.
• Both sides will be without the services of midfielders suspended by the league’s Disciplinary Committee this week: Matt Watson for the Chicago Fire and Servando Carrasco (six games played, five starts) for Sporting KC.
• Sporting is seeking to end a three-game winless streak after rallying to salvage a 4-4 draw at Houston one week ago. Benny Feilhaber’s stoppage-time blast from distance completed his brace and sent the visitors back to Kansas City with a point.
• Forward Dom Dwyer proved to be a thorn in the side of the Men In Red last season, finding the back of the net in all three fixtures. He tallied his first two goals of the season last week at Houston, while Hungarian Krisztian Nemeth sits atop Sporting’s goals leaderboard for the year with three.
Click here to download the complete MLS Game Guide for this weekend's matchup.
