The Chicago Fire begin their quest for the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night (6 p.m. CT | Stream: Chicago-Fire.com) when they take on Eastern Conference rivals Columbus Crew SC at MAPFRE Stadium in the tournament’s fourth round.Ahead of kickoff, get the full rundown on the Fire's midweek opposition below:
Current Form
Crew SC enter Wednesday night’s match having gone unbeaten in eight straight matches (4-0-4) in MLS play, dating back to a 2-2 draw against the New England Revolution on April 21. In the club’s last outing, head coach Gregg Berhalter’s men came all the back from a 3-0 deficit against reigning MLS Cup Champions Toronto FC to secure a point at home in what became a 3-3 draw.
Columbus’ 15 matches played over the 2018 MLS so far represent the most in the Eastern Conference, and are level with the Vancouver Whitecaps for the most played in the entire league to this point.
Standings
As it stands, Crew SC currently hold down the third position in the Eastern Conference standings, having rode their current unbeaten run of form to 26 points and a record of 7-3-5.
In addition, Columbus own the second-best points-per-game in the East when playing at home this season. Their 5-1-2 record at MAPFRE Stadium equates to 2.125 points per game, second only to NYCFC’s perfect 3.00 points per game (6-0-0).
Standouts
In the attacking end, Columbus has been led by forward Gyasi Zardes, whose nine goals so far in 2018 are the second-highest total in MLS behind only Atlanta United FC’s Josef Martinez (12). Now in his seventh season in Ohio, Designated Player Federico Higuain has remained the metronome in the Columbus midfield while leading the team in assists (six) and contributing four goals of his own.
Crew SC will be without the services of first-choice goalkeeper Zack Steffen and captain Will Trapp, both of whom are currently in camp with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
All-Time
These sides have met twice already in the 2018 MLS regular season, with each taking full points at home against one another so far this season. A goal from forward Nemanja Nikolić gave the Fire a 1-0 victory at Toyota Park back on April 7, while Crew SC were 3-0 winners at MAPFRE stadium on May 12.
In U.S. Open Cup play, the Fire are 6-0-0 against their Eastern Conference rivals all-time, a record that dates back to the Fire’s historic 2-1 victory in golden-goal extra time in the 1998 tournament final at Soldier Field.
