After an empty two-game road swing, the Chicago Fire will return to Soldier Field this Saturday for the first time since their home opener looking for their first win of the season.
Trips to Atlanta and Harrison, NJ the last two weekends were unsuccessful, but these types of games are bound to happen throughout the course of a seven-month season. On the bright side, another week gone means another step closer to getting the likes of Fabian Herbers, Ignacio Aliseda, Carlos Téran, Stanislav Ivanov and Kenny Kronholm healthy again.
Chicago will line up against a Philadelphia Union side that is playing some impressive football in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL), but have struggled at the start of league play with just a single point and goal scored through their first three games.
Here’s what it will look like as the Fire try to #DOOP the Union out of Soldier Field and claim their first three points of 2021.
PREDICTABLE, YET EFFECTIVE
The Jim Curtin era in Philadelphia has become predictable from a tactical standpoint but, boy, does it work.
The Union line up in a 4-4-2 diamond and are very narrow in the middle of the field. This draws a lot of attention from the opposition and sucks in defenders. They then spray balls out wide to their fullbacks and look for delivery into their two strikers (with runs from the midfielders mixed in) after teams get sucked into the middle of the field.
Kai Wagner is - without a doubt - one of the best left fullbacks in the league and Olivier Mbaizo has emerged as a great compliment on the other side of the field. Jamiro Monteiro is a clever, versatile midfielder who has become the new No. 10 for Curtin after the departure of Brenden Aaronson.
The centerback pairing of Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliot doesn’t seem to be as fruitful as the Mark Mackenzie/Glesnes duo from a year ago, but it’s still solid. Goalkeeper Andre Blake is, of course, a cheat code, and can keep the Union in almost any fixture with his outrageous shot-stopping ability.
This group is experienced, deep and talented. You’ll remember the Fire played them in Florida during preseason and came away 1-0 victors in a hard-fought, intense fixture (even if it was a friendly).
DR JEKYLL AND MR. CONCACAF
It’s really been that stark of a difference for Curtin’s group when looking at their performances in CCL and the MLS regular season.
In CCL, the Union have scored nine goals and allowed one while picking up three wins and a draw in four matches. As of this week, Philly are moving onto the tournament’s semifinals after beating Atlanta United 4-1 on aggregate on Tuesday.
In MLS play, the reigning Supporters’ Shield champions have only scored one goal, have conceded five, and have just one point to show for it all.
As we talked about leading into the Atlanta game, balancing league play and an international competition is always tricky, and something is bound to give. Jim Curtin has not rotated much, but has given the likes of Wagner, Kacper Pryzbylko and Sergio Santos a break depending on the occasion.
Philly, in my opinion, have looked a little sluggish in league play. Their energy levels, focus, and overall form seem to be on a different level for CCL compared to the league. Fitness and tired legs come into play when you start to play multiple games over less than 96 hours, which they did between their match against Inter Miami and the first leg of the CCL quarterfinals.
It seemed to catch up with them in last weekend’s game against NYCFC in which they looked out of it from the opening whistle. They conceded a quick goal to Jesus Medina before Jose Martinez, in a moment of madness, threw a nasty elbow to the head of Taty Castellanos. After a VAR check, Martinez was given a red card and will likely face a multiple match suspension. NYCFC would go on to win 2-0, and the Union actually did a solid job of keeping NYCFC in front of them being down a man for 74 minutes.
Martinez is a dominant force in the middle of the park and a great No. 6 for Jim Curtin. He was also sent off in the first CCL leg against Atlanta for a second yellow card (that was ambiguous to say the least), and Philly will be without a crucial piece to their diamond midfield for some time in MLS.
Curtin has already come out and said new signing Leon Flach will play in Martinez’s stead at the bottom of the diamond. Flach only has three MLS appearances under his belt, and is just 20 years old. He came over from 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli after making just five appearances for their first team in Germany.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m going to skip the part where I sort of dive into the tactics of the opposition and break down what the Fire need to do in order to be successful. The performance against Red Bulls was probably the most frustrating in the Raphael Wicky era, and I think he and the players would say the same.
After those types of performances, there is only one thing to do and that is look inward and worry strictly about yourself.
Yes, you still have a base understanding of the opposition and don’t just let Pryzbylko wander free in the penalty area. But, I imagine the Fire will be more focused on getting back to their OWN principles.
That means getting back to free-flowing, one-touch, beautiful football. Getting back to proper balance in the midfield and preventing the counter. Getting back to the brand and style of football we are used to seeing from this group under Wicky.
Fans of AFC Richmond will remember when a wise footballer once said, “Football is life!”
I don’t take this to mean “football is everything” (even though it is). I take it more that football is a reflection of life.
In life, when things don’t go our way, we sometimes have the tendency to blame external factors and make excuses. We’re all guilty of that on some level. I sure as heck am.
The best way to right the wrongs and get back on track is to look inward. Not to blame anything or anyone, but simply ask, “what can I, individually (or as a team in this instance) do to ensure it doesn’t happen again?”
I appreciate you indulging me and my infinite affinity for Ted Lasso, but I thought it was fitting given the situation.
I expect a grind-it-out type of performance from the Fire, and I think they’ll find a way to get over the finish line. You all, the fans, will certainly give them plenty of extra motivation and I can’t wait to see you on the Lakefront.
Catch you on WGN or CFFC Live this Saturday at 12 p.m. CT.
