Columbus Crew goalkeeper Zack Steffen might not have to contend with David Accam on Saturday but the Chicago Fire will certainly create some goal-scoring opportunities (photo credit: Don MacGregor)
Columbus Crew (3-1-1, 10 points) versus the Chicago Fire (0-2-1, 1 point)
The Columbus Crew has lost just once in their last 12 games against their Eastern Conference rivals the Chicago Fire (6W-5D).
In addition, in the points welcoming category Toyota Park has always been a relatively decent visit for the Crew.
Columbus can likely expect a similar showing of fans as well.
Hey all #SaveTheCrew , if you are in chicago next weekend come find us! Not only do we have drinks and a bus to take you to the stadium but we want to meet you. We want to grow our family. Since we are so far from the home base (cbus) [cont]
— 3-1-Crew (@ThreeOneCrew) April 1, 2018
Hey @ColumbusCrewSC fans& @Save_The_Crew loyals! Whether you’re team #FillTheFre or team protest?, when you come up to Chi on4/7 we all win. @ThreeOneCrew, the only away @MLS fan club (that we know of) is hosting at @graystonetavern bus/drinks/grouptix.#SaveTheCrew #WeAreMassive
— Lisa D (@LisaDisa) April 1, 2018
Chicago has had a very bad start to the year.
But, expect them to claw their way back up in general and in the standings whenever the following list starts to get healthy again.
OUT: M – Djordje Mihailovic (right ACL surgery), F – Michael de Leeuw (left ACL surgery), D – Jonathan Campbell (facial fracture), D – Jorge Corrales (infection), D – Matt Polster (MCL sprain), F – Luis Solignac (left quad); QUESTIONABLE: M – Daniel Johnson (lower back spasm)
Yet, Chicago still currently have Bastian Schweinsteiger, Dax McCarty, Nemanja Nikolic, and Tony Tchani.
They still have quality to be expecting a bit more.
“I want to win. I think we should win these kind of games, but we’re not there to win these kind of games and that’s why we have a lot of work to do,” commented Schweinsteiger.
In addition, Tony Tchani continues the Columbus Crew 2015 tour back into time.
But, at least Tchani can get on with life as a professional instead of obsessing over two seasons ago.
Crewture’s projected Crew lineup:
Fiddling with the defensive lineup led to the Crew’s first loss of the season last week.
Hector Jimenez played a role in the first goal occurring for the Whitecaps, but so did Valenzuela in the second.
I’m not saying the loss was Jimenez per say, I’m just saying you don’t mess with defensive chemistry unless there is none to be had.
The switch worries me because I could see Berhalter doing a similar switch for Lalas Abubukar in the next week or two.
And then soon you get in a situation where we have four different backs every week as we did for most of the 2017 season.
The move is not necessary unless the results mean you need to. But, Berhalter likes to keep everyone happy.
Yet please go back to this.
With how lackluster Chicago has been so far this lineup gives you the best opportunity to get back to winning.
Chicago projected lineup:
Chicago gained a 2-2 draw at home last week against the identically positioned 11th place team in the West, the Portland Timbers.
Because the one point was Chicago’s first somewhat positive result of the season. They’ll likely try to build on that with a similar formation and lineup.
PREDICTION: Something was stale and lackluster about the Columbus Crew all game last week.
I think that will be enough to force Berhalter to go back to the starting eleven that has him at 10 points already.
If you want to include Jimenez, Williams, and others currently make a 60th minute, 70th minute substitution if it makes sense when the game and result is already relatively secure.
Crew win 2-1. Goals by Zardes, Higuain. Nikolic for Chicago.
Chicago Fire
Columbus Crew
