Chicago Fire FC kickoff the holiday weekend festivities at home on Saturday night, as they welcome Atlanta United to Soldier Field for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff along the Lakefront.
The Fire enter the match coming out of a wild 3-3 draw with the Philadelphia Union at home last Saturday, and will look to take full points in front of the home fans this time around. Atlanta United come to town in the midst of a five-match winless streak, and have been held without a goal scored in two-straight.
Play-by-play commentator Arlo White returns to the broadcast booth this evening alongside Tony Meola, with Tyler Terens joining from the sideline on WGN-TV and CFFC Live.
Get the details on head coach Raphael Wicky's starting XI below as the Fire and Atlanta United prepare to set it off on Fireworks Night at Soldier Field.
- Two changes have been made to the lineup that faced Philadelphia last Saturday. Midfielder Przemysław Frankowski returns to the starting XI after making his return to the team from international duty as a substitution last weekend. In addition, defender Jonathan Bornstein is back in the opening XI for the first time since the Fire hosted the Union on May 8 at Soldier Field. Bornstein will don the captain's armband tonight in lieu of Francisco Calvo, who is away on international duty with Costa Rica.
- Midfielder Álvaro Medrán is back in the starting lineup after an MLS Team of the Week performance in last week's draw. Medrán served up two set piece assists to Boris Sekulić and Mauricio Pineda to help secure the point at home.
- Sekulić and Pineda each return to the starting lineup as well following their goals against Philadelphia, as does defender Miguel Navarro, who created the Union own goal that opened scoring last weekend.
- Johan Kappelhof and Goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth round out the defensive unit this evening. Shuttleworth enters the match with a consecutive standout performances to his credit, having made 15 total saves across the Fire's last two matches.
- Adding to the attack tonight are midfielders Fabian Herbers, who starts for the sixth-straight match, and Ignacio Aliseda, who is in for his fourth-straight.
- Forward Robert Berić takes up his usual role atop the attacking unit, earning his 34th career Fire appearance.
- Available to Wicky as substitutions tonight are goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina, defender Wyatt Omsberg, defender Jhon Espinoza, midfielder Elliot Collier, midfielder Brian Gutiérrez, midfielder Javier Casas Jr., midfielder Alex Monis, midfielder Luka Stojanović, and forward Chinonso Offor.
- Midfielder Gastón Giménez (Paraguay) and defender Francisco Calvo (Costa Rica) are 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.
Get a look at both team's starting lineups as they're available in the graphics below:
