Coming out of a four-match homestand at Soldier Field, Chicago Fire FC return to the road on Saturday night in a trip to Tennessee to take on Nashville SC.
The Fire are unbeaten in three matches, having picked up seven points and scored nine goals in that stretch. They'll look to continue pushing their way up the Eastern Conference table against a Nashville side that currently sits in fifth, and are unbeaten at home in 2021 (4-0-5).
Kickoff from Nissan Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. CT, with coverage coming to you on WGN-TV, CFFC Live, Latino Mix 93.5 FM. See how the team will line up tonight in the notes below:
- One change has been made to the lineup that beat Orlando City SC 10 days ago. Defender Wyatt Omsberg returns to the opening XI for the first time since May 29, replacing Jonathan Bornstein.
- Defender Johan Kappelhof, who makes his fifth straight start, will wear the captain's armband in lieu of Bornstein and Francisco Calvo, who is away with the Costa Rica Men's National Team at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
- Midfielder Fabian Herbers will notch his 100th regular season appearance in MLS as part of tonight's starting lineup. Nearly half of his 100 appearances have come for the Fire, with Herbers tallying 46 appearances (32 starts) across the last three seasons prior to Saturday’s contest
- With three-straight MLS Team of the Week selections behind him, midfielder Álvaro Medrán will slot into his usual place in the center of the park tonight. Medrán has notched a league-high five assists in the team’s last three matches, and is tied with New England's Carles Gil for the second-most chances created in MLS since June 26.
- Rounding out the midfield is Przemysław Frankowski, who has picked up a goal and an assist over the Fire's last two matches. He earns his 60th career Fire appearance tonight.
- Alongside Kappelhof and Omsberg in defense are Mauricio Pineda, Migual Navarro, and Boris Sekulić. Sekulić scored his second goal of the season against Orlando last time out.
- They'll look to help protect goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth's net in Nashville this evening. Shuttleworth has made a league-high 24 saves in the Fire’s last four matches, helping to guide the Club to a 2-1-1 record in that stretch. Shuttleworth’s 11 saves against FC Cincinnati on June 23 marked a career high for the goalkeeper and matched a Club recored for most saves in a single game.
- Up top, Robert Berić and Ignacio Aliseda will lead the attacking unit. Berić scored his second goal of the season against Orlando, a finish that proved to be the match-winner. Aliseda was recently named the Week 11 MLS Player of the Week for a two-goal and an assist effort in the Fire's 3-0 win over Atlanta United on July 3.
- Available to Wicky as substitutions tonight are goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina, defender Jonathan Bornstein, defender Jhon Espinoza, midfielder Gastón Giménez, midfielder Luka Stojanović, midfielder Alex Monis, midfielder Brian Gutiérrez, midfielder Elliot Collier, and forward Chinonso Offor.
- Defender Francisco Calvo (Costa Rica) is unavailable for selection tonight due to international duty.
- Midfielder Stanislav Ivanov (left knee), defender Carlos Terán (right shin), and goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm (right knee) are out due to injury for tonight's match.
- Head coach Raphael Wicky will not be in attendance tonight or at Wednesday's home game versus D.C. United due to a health matter concerning a close family member. Assistant coach Frank Klopas will lead the team for the next two matches.
Get a look at both team's starting lineups as they're available in the graphics below:
