Chicago Fire FC (7-10-5, 9th in East) vs. Atlanta United (6-9-6, 12th in East)
It had been five years since the Fire last won three on the bounce. It has also been that long since the Fire won four straight. That’s what’s in front of them as they take on an Atlanta United team that is struggling to hang on in the playoff chase.
Last time out, Ronaldo Cisneros scored a first-half hat trick as the Five Stripes coasted to a 4-1 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Since that game on May 7th, though, Atlanta have gone 2-5-4 and have slipped to 12th in the East and four points adrift of the last playoff spot with five teams to pass.
One of those teams is the Fire after winning three straight matches and have gone 5-2-1 since May 7th. Xherdan Shaqiri had one of his best matches with the Fire scoring once and assisting on a second in the 3-1 win over Vancouver–their first win ever in the Pacific Northwest and first in the Pacific Time Zone since 2017. Rafael Czichos has scored in back-to-back games and players like Carlos Teran and Jhon Duran are getting more acclimated to play in Major League Soccer.
The Fire will feel three points will be especially imperative on Saturday as August presents a challenging slate of games starting with an away trip to Charlotte and then to East leaders Philadelphia in the next two weeks, followed by a home tilt with second in the East New York City FC. For Atlanta, it’s to not be cut further adrift from the playoff chase as the calendar flips the page to August.
Momentum changes on a dime in the league and a good run of matches can lift teams far up the table like the Fire, but a poor run of form like both teams have experienced can push you down a mountain.
Kickoff is at 4pm CT on WGN-TV.
INJURIES:
CHICAGO FIRE FC: QUESTIONABLE: Gastón Giménez (right thigh); OUT: Jhon Espinoza (right knee), , Stanislav Ivanov (right thigh), Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
ATLANTA UNITED: QUESTIONABLE: Andrew Gutman (quad); OUT: Ozzie Alonso (ACL), Dylan Castanheira (Achilles), Brad Guzan (Achilles), Miles Robinson (Achilles), Ronald Hernandez (MCL), Brooks Lennon (MCL), Emerson Hyndman (quad)
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW:
CHI: Miguel Navarro
ATL: Marcelino Moreno, Amar Sejdic
INTERNATIONAL DUTY
CHI: Sergio Oregel (USA-U20s)
Referee: Joe Dickerson
Assistant Referees: Chantal Boudreau, Jeffrey Swartzel
4th Official: Alain Ruch
VAR: Alejandro Mariscal
IN OTHER NEWS: The Fire game is the first half of a double header with the Chicago Red Stars who host San Diego Wave (featuring Alex Morgan) at 7pm on Twitch. It was announced on Friday that midfielder Alyssa Mautz has decided to retire after Saturday’s match.
“I just want to thank the Chicago Red Stars for allowing me to pursue my dream of playing professional soccer for the past 10 years. This club and community has felt like my second family/home,” said Mautz. “Thank you to my teammates that have made this the best team to play for and fight for on the field. Thank you to my coaches that believed in me to play at this level. Thank you Arnim and the ownership for believing in this league to make it possible for women to play professional soccer.”
Mautz has made 153 appearances in all competition for the Red Stars over ten seasons.
