Chicago are looking to gain maximum points again this weekend as they welcome Chivas USA to Toyota Park, just days after facing their Mexican counterparts in a midweek friendly on Wednesday. While hopes are still alive in Chicago, they are fleeting more and more with every passing opportunity to gain three points, especially against teams on the ropes like last week’s opponent San Jose, and this week’s match against Chivas. Still, a win against Chivas will keep those hopes alive, as wins in their next two matches could help Chicago jump over a few of their rivals if the cards fall right.
Chicago has exhibited a stronger level of play in recent weeks, starting with their draw against DC United nearly a month ago. Although they walked away with a draw, they showed cohesiveness and good play creation that carried them through back to back wins at home, in addition to a strong win against Richmond Kickers in USOC play. That momentum was halted abruptly on Saturday, however, as they traveled to Buck Shaw Stadium and were essentially bullied by San Jose in a game that referee Geoff Gamble seemed to have misplaced his whistle and cards for. The game resulted in a heartbreaking an unnecessary loss, in addition to a few Fire players walking away with some knocks that kept them from training early week.
Chicago came home after the shutout at the hands of San Jose to find themselves playing what amounted to a midweek money grab as they faced Chivas Guadalajara on Wednesday. The match provided little excitement, although a near capacity crowd of mostly Chivas fans packed Bridgeview to see the Mexican giants take on the Men in Red. A 62nd minute strike off the foot of substitute Jorge Mora was all Chivas needed to get by Chicago, as both sides fielded their first teams to start, with the game slowing down considerably in the second half with the insertion of subs for both teams.
Just hours before the friendly on Wednesday, Chicago also announced the release of midfielder Marko Maric. The Croatian midfielder, who was signed by Chicago during the offseason as a play maker, barely saw time with the club. His first and only appearance was a mere nineteen minutes in the Fire’s stadium-opening match in Portland back on April 14, where he sustained an ankle injury that kept him sidelined through the rest of his tenure with the club. Maric, the second highest paid player on the club’s 2011 roster according to the MLS Players Union updated list of player’s salaries, was let go just one day before the roster lock, creating some speculation as to whether or not the team might make a last minute move before the Thursday 5pm deadline. Speculation was driven mainly because former CD Guadalajara and Chivas USA midfielder Francisco “Panchito” Mendoza was training with the Fire this week, but apparently there was nothing further behind the move, unless something was worked out pre-deadline that has yet to be announced (although unlikely).
Friday brought with it the announcement by the Fire that they just finalized a partnership with Indiana United Soccer Club Development Academy, one of the top ranked youth academies in the country. The partnership will only serve to improve the Fire’s developemental ranks, as the Fire already are known as having the highest ranked youth program in MLS. While it may take time to see the dividends yielded by such a move, Chicago doing so now surely means the future holds more solid prospects for homegrown players to rise through the ranks of Chicago’s system ala Victor Pineda and Kellen Gulley.
Which brings us to tomorrow’s matinee match against Chivas USA. Chivas has struggled as of late to say the least, having dropped three straight matches, while also being shutout in all three. In fact, the Goats have been shutout in six of their last nine matches, a staggering statistic for a team sitting just three points out of the last playoff spot. Chivas seems to have cooled down considerably from their early season form that showed them to be a much stronger scoring team, with the likes of Justin Braun and Nick LaBrocca leading the way. Juan Pablo Angel always has to be considered a threat, although with just four goals on the season, he seems to have lost a step from his days at NYRB.
Chicago will be looking once again to their Ghanaian duo up top of Patrick Nyarko and Dominic Oduro. Oduro is coming off a full week of rest, after sitting out Wednesday’s friendly due to some swelling in his ankle after Saturday’s match against the Earthquakes. Also coming off a week of rest is Sebastian Grazzini, who was nursing some tightness in his hamstring. Both are good to go according to interim coach Frank Klopas, however, so it appears both sitting this week was more precautionary than anything else.
Klopas will again have to shuffle his defenders around this week, although doing so likely won’t present the same issues as against San Jose. Gonzalo Segares, who sat out last weekend due to yellow card accumulation, will be back in the lineup, as Dan Gargan, who picked up a yellow for dissent against San Jose, will miss the Chivas match for the same reason. Klopas is likely to insert rookie Jalil Anibaba at right back, as he played there solidly in Wednesday’s friendly, as well as the first half of the season before moving to his natural centerback position. Josip Mikulic, who has seen a dramatic decrease in playing time in recent weeks, should line up alongside Cory Gibbs.
All in all, this should be a win for Chicago. Chivas has been struggling as of late, and Chicago, with the exception of last week’s hiccup, has been moving in the opposite direction, showing strong enough play in recent weeks that the playoffs became a legitimate conversation in Chicagoland. While those chances are more slim with just seven games to go in regular season play, Chicago has exhibited a ‘never say die’ attitude throughout the year, and has always bounced back well from adversity. There’s no reason to think any differently for their Saturday match against Chivas; a game they know they can win, and a game that will keep those playoff hopes alive in Chicago for a little while longer.
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