Tuesday night went exactly according to script.
Three goals, a clean sheet and three points in the return to Soldier Field.
The Fire had a commitment on both sides of the ball. They had a conviction and composure in the final third. It’s only one game, but it was wildly encouraging to put together that type of complete performance against a side that had not conceded a goal in 300 minutes.
Now, it is time for head coach Raphael Wicky’s side to try and string back-to-back performances together against a solid New York City FC group on Saturday night at Red Bull Arena (not a typo).
SHIFT GEARS
Scoring an early goal, managing the game, and being patient were three things we saw from the Fire against Jaap Stam’s stingy FC Cincinnati side. FCC sat in a deep block for most of the match, even when Chicago were up 2-0.
Saturday’s match against Ronny Deila’s NYCFC will be a completely different look.
“The Pigeons” have struggled to put together consistent performances, but we’ve seen glimpses of what it is supposed to look like.
Since Deila took over, NYCFC are 5-7-0 in all competitions - including CONCACAF Champions League play and the MLS is Back Tournament. However, they are just 2-0-5 in MLS regular season play and currently sit in 11th place. As of right now, they’re on the outside looking in as the league’s modified playoff picture will see 10 teams from the Eastern Conference qualify.
This is a team that likes to open things up, and doesn’t have the defensive mindset or discipline that the Fire have seen from Columbus and FCC.
The outside backs have a lot of freedom to get forward. On Monday night against Columbus, Anton Tinnerholm missed a great one-on-one opportunity after Jesus Medina cut inside and played a beautiful ball for the Swede. Midfielder Alexandru Mitriță has terrific feet and likes to cut inside as well. He did so in beautiful fashion and cracked the crossbar from about 25 yards out early in the second half.
Midfielder Maxi Moralez is arguably the team’s best player, and was missing in their 1-0 win over Columbus. It forced Keaton Parks to play more of a play-making, advanced No. 10 role in their 4-2-3-1 formation. That’s not his natural position, but it did provide some balance in the midfield that disrupted Columbus. Alex Ring - in my opinion, one of the more under-appreciated midfielders in the league - scored the game-winner in the 59th minute after a bad giveaway from the Crew at the back.
Héber, their out-and-out No. 9, is opportunistic and doesn’t get involved in the build-up play much, but can certainly punish you if given the delivery. The Brazilian scored 15 goals last year but has yet to score in MLS regular season play in 2020.
This is virtually the same side that won the Eastern Conference regular season in 2019, and scored 63 times en route to a +21 goal differential. There is a new system under Ronny Deila and the players are still getting used to it. Their 3-1 win against Toronto in the MLS is Back tournament’s Round of 16 was probably the best representation of what the Norwegian manager's side should look like, and the Fire will need to be wary of them throwing numbers forward. Offensive defending (positioning yourself so you can immediately defend in case you lose the ball) will be key here as NYCFC have the horses to hurt you.
The wingers’ tendencies to cut inside forces communication all over the field. It starts with the central midfielders, who will be responsible to pick up immediate threats on the interior and then the passing off of runners from the center backs and outside backs if someone gets pulled out of position.
REPLICATE
Even though this is a completely different kind of challenge for the Fire from a tactical standpoint, we saw what the finished product of Wicky’s plan looks like on Tuesday night, and a lot of those same principals can be put to use on a game-by-game basis.
There was a real commitment on the defensive side of the ball. Wingers were coming back to defend and win possession. Gastón Giménez played an incredible disruptor role. Francisco Calvo and Mauricio Pineda hardly made a wrong move. Fullbacks Miguel Navarro and Boris Sekulic were not only getting forward in the attack and providing options, but sound in their one-on-one defensive battles. Álvaro Medrán was silky in possession, displayed a wide range of passes, and his SportsCenter Top-10 strike from distance gave the Fire a 2-0 lead inside the first ten minutes.
In the attack, the ball was being pinged around crisply and precisely. Whether it be a patient move (like the one that resulted in the third goal tucked away by Ignacio Aliseda) or a more direct one (like we saw in the first goal from Fabian Herbers), Chicago kept FCC guessing.
There is no one explanation for the performance we saw from the Fire Tuesday night. It wasn’t just the return to an iconic sports venue, or the quick start, or simply more time together as a team: It was a sum of the parts.
The technical staff has something off of which to build, and an ever-important reference point going forward. If you can do something once, you can do it again.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This will be an entirely different contest from Tuesday night. NYCFC will offer more resistance from an attacking standpoint and there will be an open, fluid rhythm to this game (hopefully) in which both teams will have the ball and create chances.
CFFC will need to capitalize on their pockets of the game when they have time and space.
Following up a win is always difficult. Both teams were struggling before Monday and Tuesday night respectively, and both got results they desperately needed. I am itching to see what the two teams have in store for an encore.
