Coming out of a dramatic weekend draw in New England, Chicago Fire FC is back on the road Wednesday night as they visit FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium for the very first time.
The Fire and FC Cincinnati have met once already this season, a 1-0 draw at Soldier Field in favor of the visitors back in late June. Interim head coach Frank Klopas and his men will now look to return the favor and take away all three points from tonight's contest.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT, with coverage available on WGN-TV, CFFC Live, TUDN 1200 AM, and MLS LIVE's out-of-market package on ESPN+. With Klopas' team sheet revealed, get the details on the Fire's starting XI:
- One change has been made from Saturday night's 2-2 draw against the New England Revolution.
- Midfielder Fabian Herbers returns to the starting XI tonight, having recovered from a right thigh injury the kept him out of Saturday's match. He'll replace forward Stanislav Ivanov in the lineup this evening.
- Forward Ignacio Aliseda gets his second-straight starting nod after scoring the Fire's late equalizer on Saturday. His fourth goal of the year beat U.S. Men's National Team goalkeeper Matt Turner to the far post in the 88th minute and helped the Fire claim a share of the points on the road in New England. Alongside fellow starter Robert Berić, Aliseda will help lead the attack while making his 20th appearance of the season tonight.
- Álvaro Medrán also found himself on the scoresheet on Saturday, after he negated New England's 47th minute opener with a finish of his own just two minutes later. Now with three goals on the year to compliment his team-leading six assists, he'll make his 23rd start of 2021 this evening.
- Federico Navarro and Mauricio Pineda will work join Medrán in midfield tonight, making their ninth and 26th appearances of the season, respectively.
- Defender Jhon Espinoza got the assist on Medrán's goal Saturday - his first for the Fire - with a perfectly placed cross to the far post. He now starts for the fifth-straight match, lining up opposite Miguel Navarro out wide.
- Captain Jonathan Bornstein will operate centrally along the backline with Johan Kappelhof, as the pair start together for the sixth-straight match.
- 17-year-old goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina will backstop the defensive unit for the sixth-straight outing as he enters the match coming out of a career-high six-save performance against the Revolution.
- Available to Klopas as substitutions today are goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, defender Wyatt Omsberg, defender Boris Sekulić, midfielder Gastón Giménez, midfielder Luka Stojanović, midfielder Brian Gutiérrez, midfielder Alex Monis, forward Elliot Collier, and forward Chinonso Offor.
- Defender Carlos Terán (right thigh), defender Francisco Calvo (health & safety protocols), and goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm (right knee) are out due to injury for tonight's match.
- Forward Stanislav Ivanov will miss tonight's match as he recently returned to Europe for his U.S. Green Card appointment. Ivanov is expected to miss the next three matches, including tonight's game.
Get a look at FC Cincinnati's starting lineup below as it becomes available: