Chicago plays host on Sunday to New England Revolution at Toyota Park, hoping to extend their stretch of strong play as they continue to claw their way up the table in hopes of making the final playoff spot. New England, who’ve won just one game in their last nine, are hoping to salvage some pride and play spoiler, as they have been moving in the wrong direction for weeks, and who’s playoff run will end with a loss against Chicago.
New England, who have had a tough time on visiting turf (1-8-6), have given up 29 goals to opponents on the road in the 2011 season. Chicago, by contrast, has give up just 13 goals at home. In addition, Chicago’s offense gave the New England defense fits in their last meeting, as Dominic Oduro netted Chicago’s lone goal, but had numerous other opportunities during the match. The 1-1 draw at New England didn’t reflect the tone of the game, however, has Chicago was threatening for much of the match. Rajko Lekic, who scored NE’s goal against the Fire, is out today with a L ankle sprain. In addition, NE could likely be missing Sainey Nyassi and AJ Soares to injury, both key players in Steve Nicol’s playbook.
Chicago will likely field the same lineup that has brought them mostly success in recent weeks. Their offense will center around Agentine midfielder Sebastian Grazzini, who has made a positive impact since joining the club in mid-July, as well as Pavel Pardo. After sustaining some knocks in the last few matches, Dominic Oduro and Patrick Nyarko again look to lead Chicago’s offensive attack. The Ghanaian duo has worked well together as of late, and they look to continue to do so against a struggling Revolution defense that’s missing key components.
Chicago will be missing veteran defender Cory Gibbs, thanks to his straight red attained against Chivas USA. Josip Mikulic will likely fill the void alongside rookie Jalil Anibaba, with Dan Gargan returning to right back after his suspension, and Gonzalo Segares at left back. Sean Johnson, who’s shown some amazing form as of late, will again mind the net for the Fire.
This game should be a relatively easy win for the Fire. Chicago has been showing increasingly positive form, while New England has looked like a team at the bottom of the table. Chicago is only 3 points above New England currently, but given their early season play, Chicago is a much different team than the one that went on 10- and 11-game winless streaks earlier this season. Look for the Fire to attack early, hoping to set the tone for the match right off the bat. The Fire should be able to climb the table today, but as we’ve seen in other matches this season, should-win games have sometimes yielded different results. It’s not likely that Chicago is taking this match lightly, however, so a win should be a given.
Referee
Michael Kennedy
Injury Report
CHICAGO FIRE — OUT: MF Gabriel Ferrari (L knee ACL reconstruction); DF Steven Kinney (lower abdominal strain)
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION — OUT: FW Rajko Lekic (L ankle sprain); MF Stephen McCarthy (L shoulder surgery); MF Sainey Nyassi (R hamstring strain); DF A.J. Soares (L adductor strain); DOUBTFUL: MF Monsef Zerka (L quadriceps strain)
Image courtesy of chicago-fire.com
