March is here. Our petty anger never left. While the rest of the CHGO crew is at the United Center watching the Big Ten Tourney – Luke Stuckmeyer, Matt Peck and Lawrence Benedetto are back in studio airing their sports grievances. What gets your blood boiling in Chicago sports? It’s time to vent. Plus, the Bulls win in Denver?! Lonzo Ball needs MORE surgery? Can Northwestern win the Big Ten Tourney? It’s March MADness on THE Chicago Sports Podcast.

Watch the show on YouTube!

But, if you’re a Fire fan, should you be cheering for Shaq right now? It’s a more complex question than it seems.

At $8.15 million per season, Shaqiri is–by far–the highest paid player in Fire history. But in his first season with the club, he didn’t exactly deliver. He scored just three non-penalty goals all season, and pulled himself out of matches at key moments–including the 88th minute of a crucial, late season match against Charlotte FC. The Fire went on to lose that one 3-2 after Shaqiri sat down, and the Fire missed the playoffs.

A running narrative this season, fueled by many–including me, to be fair–was that Shaqiri was concerned about injury, and was protecting his health for what would be the final World Cup of his career.

It was a season that began with high expectations, and ended in frustration, yet again. So, it’s hard to argue against any Fire fan who feels a tinge of anger watching Shaq score for his country.

That said, I think Fire fans should back Shaq in Qatar. Hear me out:

First, frustrations aside, he is our guy right now. I thought this tweet from @JTomszak summed it up best:

Plus, it’s pretty clear that his quad injury is serious. Shaqiri didn’t appear in the 1-0 group stage loss to Brazil because of the ailment. I have to eat crow on this one, because I fully expected Shaq to get to Qatar and play every minute of every match. If he’s missing a World Cup match, you know that quad injury is more than just an excuse to get out of Fire matches when he doesn’t feel like playing. It’s legit.

Still, I think this is a case of two-things-can-be-true-at-once. Fire fans should back Shaqiri at the World Cup, and it may well be true he battled injuries all season. But, it’s also more than fair to expect the highest paid player in club history to deliver far more than he did. Actually, I would hope Shaqiri should feel the same way. His talent was on display in flashes throughout 2022, but it will need to be a lot more consistent in 2023 for Shaqiri to actually earn those giant paychecks, and for the Fire to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

My feeling on Shaqiri is a lot like my feeling on Fire sporting director Georg Heitz: I’ve been critical of both–fairly, I believe. I feel both haven’t delivered like they should, and the MLS Eastern Conference standings should remove any doubt about that. But, in both cases, it’s not personal. For the sake of the club, I hope both Shaqiri and Heitz dominate this coming season.

And for that reason, I’ll be backing Shaq against Portugal on Tuesday. Hopp Schwiiz!

Fire news

The Fire announced today that club legend Zach Thornton has joined Ezra Hendrickson’s coaching staff as goalkeeper coach. He replaces Adin Brown, who recently left to join the San Jose Earthquakes.

Thornton is the Fire’s career leader in appearances as a goalkeeper (215), starts as a goalkeeper (212), and wins (109). He’ll be tasked with working with young star Chris Brady and veteran Spencer Richey, who will both be vying to take over for Gaga Slonina after his recent move to Chelsea in the Premier League.

It’s an exciting day at CHGO as we’re unlocking more content on our site so that more fans than ever before can enjoy the analysis and insights from our writers.

We’re also introducing our redesigned CHGO membership which we believe is the ultimate must-have for the ultimate Chicago sports fan.

We’re calling it The Diehard Level and we’ve stuffed it with so many benefits that it will immediately upgrade your fandom higher than ever before.

Like everything else at CHGO, we’ve organized this program around our “Three Cs”: Culture, community and content.

Here’s what you get when you sign up!

Culture

• A free CHGO shirt or hat upon sign up and EVERY YEAR after renewal (a $34.99 value)
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• 20% off every merchandise order at the CHGO Locker
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• Exclusive merchandise for Diehards only
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• A membership card and sticker pack to prove you’re a CHGO Diehard
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• Special Diehards-only offers from CHGO partners

Community

• 20% off tailgates and takeovers for every team in town
  ​
• CHGO Diehards-Only Discord Lounge
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• Online Q&As/Happy Hours with CHGO staff members

Content

• Diehards-only newsletters from CHGO beat writers like Adam Hoge’s “Bears Things” and Will Gottlieb’s “Bulls Film Breakdown”
  ​
• Mailbags for Diehards only
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• Exclusive video and podcast content

We won’t be stopping there, either. We will continue working to make sure that CHGO Diehard Level is the only kit our city’s biggest fans will ever need.

Thousands of our previous members were automatically upgraded this morning when we introduced the program, we’d love to welcome you into the club.

CLICK HERE TO BECOME A DIEHARD!

Best,
​
Kevin Kaduk
CHGO Head of Content

“When they called my name, and I sprinted over as fast as I could to make sure I got on,” Monis tells CHGO.

To say Monis made the most of this brief appearance would be an understatement.

The Fire had just gone down 1-0 to the Revs a few seconds before, and they now needed a goal–quickly–to ensure they didn’t end the season on a loss. As he has all season, Alex’s dad, Rich, was waiting patiently in the stands to see if his son would finally get to play.

“We had a large group of family there, and it wasn’t looking good at the 88th minute,” Rich says. “We were just kind of hoping he’d get in, and it was late in the game. When I saw him run in from the corner taking off his warm ups, and the equipment manager handing him his jersey, that’s when I knew, and we were all excited when he was checking in at the line.”

Two minutes later, early in stoppage time, Fire defender Carlos Terán set up to take one of his freak show long throw ins near New England’s penalty area. Terán can throw the ball farther than just about every player on the planet, so the Fire treat these moments as a set piece, like a corner or a wide free kick. Monis was supposed to sit at the top of the 18-yard-box to break up a New England counter attack, but his teammate, Miguel Navarro, had other plans.

“Miguel told me, ‘Monis, get in the box, go score’,” Alex explains. “I was kind of between should I go in, should I respect the coaches’, you know, being at the top of the box. It was the last minute, we were down a goal, and I decided to just go with it.”

Good thing he did. New England goalkeeper Djordje Petrović and former U.S. international Omar Gonzalez “got their wires crossed,” as Fire play-by-play man Tyler Terens called it, and the ball ended up falling to Monis, who was running to the far post, following Navarro’s advice.

Monis’ first touch on the ball of the 2022 season was in the back of the net, and the game was tied.

“Really, I don’t remember anything from that moment besides just swinging my leg when the ball dropped,” Monis says. “Thankfully it went in, and from that point on it was a little bit of a blur, so much adrenaline, so excited. But looking over to the corner flag and seeing the fans erupt was just the best feeling, honestly.”

In the opposite corner of the stadium, Rich Monis was feeling a flood of emotions. A fan a few rows back caught his reaction on video.

“It was really difficult for me to tell who scored because everyone was running to the corner flag in celebration,” Rich says. “When the people around me told me it was Alex, that’s when I got excited, and then you hear his name being called, it was just–I can’t really explain the emotions that were going through my head. So many things.”

Rich was there with a large group of family and friends for the match. But, both he and Alex immediately thought of the one person who wasn’t there–at least not physically. A little less than a year ago, Alex’s mom and Rich’s wife, Jocelyn, died of cancer at the age of 49.

“I looked up at the sky, knowing my wife was watching,” Rich says.

“She was really the only one I was thinking of in that moment, as soon as it went in,” Alex says. “I have plenty of pictures of me looking to the sky when I scored that goal. I was around this time last year that she passed away, so to score in that moment was such an amazing feeling. To have some of her closest friends and family there to witness it was really just a special moment.”

After years of sacrifices, all those nights and weekends spent watching Alex and his sister play soccer, Rich and Jocelyn’s son had scored a goal for the Chicago Fire–in the very stadium where they used to go cheer on the team as a family.

“That night, when I got home, I had time to reflect going through all the social media, things like that,” Rich says. “That thought did cross my mind, the journey, the sacrifices that my wife and I had to make, for not only Alex, but his sister played soccer as well. Divide and conquer, keep the lawn chair in the back of the car, all those moments. That all crosses your mind.”

Alex did it. Jocelyn would be so proud.

“Ever since he was young, that’s what he wanted to do,” Rich says of his son. “He verbalized it. He said I want to be on that field. And his dream came true.”

Like the Fire, Charlotte is also six points off the final playoff spot, but with a game in hand. The club has had a decent first season in MLS, and was above the playoff line for much of the year, but has dropped off in recent weeks.

Chicago will be without centerback Carlos Terán, who is serving a suspension for yellow card accumulation. However, defensive midfielder Federico Navarro is back for this match, after serving his yellow card suspension in the 3-2 loss to CF Montreal earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Fire coach Ezra Hendrickson opted to start left back Jonathan Bornstein in Fede Navarro’s absence, rather than giving an opportunity to a homegrown midfielder like Javier Casas or Sergio Oregel. That move left many fans puzzled, but Hendrickson explained his thinking after the match.

“You know, beyond the mistakes, I thought he did well, and Javi Casas, you have a guy that played limited minutes in the league so far, and Sergio who has never played,” Hendrickson said. “So it’s difficult to put them in that situation like this that we faced ourselves with, we thought going with experience would be beneficial to us.

“Hindsight is 20/20. I think if we had to do it all over again, we would still go with Bornstein because, like I said, the experience that we felt was needed.”

Elimination Scenarios

There are many. Take a look:

Herbers undergoes successful surgery

Fabian Herbers is recovering after undergoing surgery on his groin this week. He flew to Philadelphia for the procedure, and the recovery will see the German miss the rest of the 2022 season. On his podcast, Zee Soccer Pod, Herbers said he had been dealing with pain for much of the season, and after back-to-back 90 minute performances recently he decided it was time to finally have the surgery.

Welcome back, BB!

Brandt Bronico returns to play against his old club in Chicago for the first time since his option was declined after the 2020 season. Bronico has been a mainstay in central midfield for his hometown expansion side, appearing in every match this season. He’s played 2,579 minutes for Charlotte, by far the most of any outfield player at the club, and second only to goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.

READ: Patrick McCraney answers five big questions about the Fire heading into 2023

How to Watch

Chicago Fire vs. Charlotte FC

MLS Match Day #32 | Saturday, September 17 | Soldier Field, Chicago

Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Tyler Terens (play-by-play guy/very, very busy), Tony Meola (color commentator, U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Injury Reports

Chicago

• QUESTIONABLE: Stanislav Ivanov (right quad)
• QUESTIONABLE: Chris Mueller (right hip)
• QUESTIONABLE: Andre Reynolds II (right knee)
• OUT: Gastón Giménez (right hamstring),
• OUT: Fabian Herbers (right hip)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Kacper Przybyłko (back)
• OUT: Carlos Terán (yellow card accumulation)
• OUT: Jairo Torres (left lower leg)

Charlotte

• OUT: Vinicius Mello (left foot surgery)
• OUT: Adam Armour (left knee surgery)
• OUT: Guzman Corujo (right knee surgery)
• QUESTIONABLE: Jan Sobocinski (right thigh)
• QUESTIONABLE: McKinzie Gaines (right lower leg)

Chicago’s Final Two Matches

Saturday, October 1 at FC Cincinnati | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 9 vs. New England Revolution | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview | 1:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Prediction

Chicago won a thriller in Charlotte last time these two teams faced off, and they’re favorites to win again, according to PointsBet (-110 for a Fire win, +260 for a draw, +275 for Charlotte win). This one feels like a Fire victory. We say it ends 2-1.

Sure, it’s not completely a done deal, and the players and coaches should continue to fight until mathematical elimination, but after Tuesday night’s loss to CF Montreal it’s a statistical long shot. The Fire would need to win out and get some help from other teams. FiveThirtyEight has the Fire down to a 2% chance to qualify, and elimination could come as soon as Saturday vs. Charlotte.

With that in mind, let’s begin to look ahead at some of the massive questions heading into 2023.

Should Gaga Slonina come back on loan next season?

For me, no. And that’s not a knock on Gaga at all. He’s a fantastic person and an all-world talent, but I think Slonina’s better off going on loan in a European league (if he doesn’t compete for the starting job at Chelsea straight away–and let’s face it, that will be tough). Bringing him back to the Fire would be very familiar and comfortable, and I think going somewhere uncomfortable will help him grow.

Gaga’s departure would also open up the door for Chris Brady to finally compete for the Fire’s No. 1 job. Brady was great at Forward Madison in 2020 and has been a rockstar in MLS Next Pro this season, and he deserves a shot. If he can’t do it just yet, maybe the Fire bring in a savvy league veteran on a one-year deal in 2023 to help mentor Brady. If Gaga does return to Chicago, I’d love to see Brady go on loan somewhere, rather than continue to play for Fire II.

Should Ezra Hendrickson return next season?

Yes, with this caveat–if there’s a change at the top of the sporting department, I would think the new sporting director should have some input on the head coach. That said, while there have been some bumps along the way, I think Ezra’s done a good job this season. The team has shown a lot of fight in these final few games, which is a good sign that the players want to continue to play hard for their coach. Hendrickson is a class act, and he deserves more than one season to get this right. I think if Hendrickson is let go, he’ll pop up again somewhere else and have a lot of success. Much like was the case with Raphael Wicky, the coaching isn’t the biggest problem here.

For those who wonder why Hendrickson has opted to play veterans out-of-position lately rather than untested homegrowns, I say this: Ezra sees training every day, and we don’t (even the media gets kicked out after 15 minutes, so we really can’t glean much of anything from a tactical standpoint). Maybe he’s made the wrong decisions on personnel, but he’s making those decisions after seeing these guys play up close, every day.

Where will Tyler Terens and Tony Meola land next?

With Apple TV moving in league-wide, the Fire’s three-year run on WGN comes to a close on Oct. 9. With that, play-by-play guy Tyler Terens and color commentator Tony Meola will, like all of the broadcast teams around the league, be searching for their next gigs. Meola is a big enough name in American soccer that he should end up somewhere–maybe Apple TV, maybe somewhere else. And this will come as no surprise, but I’ve been a massive fan of Terens for a long time now. He’s passionate, he’s prepared, and he 100% deserves to be one of the top voices calling American soccer matches for years to come. Anyone who sleeps on him will be sorry.

Who will the Fire’s designated players be next season?

This one’s tough. It’s going to be difficult to move Gastón Giménez, a 31-year-old highly paid No. 8 recovering from injury. I can’t imagine many clubs are dying to sign him. Xherdan Shaqiri is a big enough star that some team would snap him up if the club wanted to sell, but the Fire would probably have to take a loss on that huge transfer fee. And Jairo Torres, who has been hurt most of his time here and has shown nothing close to the level of a designated player, will also be tough to move if the Fire want to recoup money. The club could “Lugano” these guys like they did one of their last DP mistakes, Nacho Aliseda, but at some point the Lugano fans will revolt if they realize they’re becoming a dumping ground for Georg Heitz’s bad MLS decisions. So, unless a new sporting director comes in and acts swiftly, or the Fire are willing to take big losses, these three are probably back in 2023.

Should Georg Heitz and Sebastian Pelzer return for 2023?

No. Do I actually need to explain this one?

If Joe Mansueto’s going to move to fire the duo, he should do it immediately. The next sporting and technical directors should have as much time as possible to make things right. If Mansueto’s going to keep them, his idea of measurable success is much different than mine, and fans should start to ask questions about whether he’s the right guy to own the club.

Under their watch, the club has had three straight losing seasons, and far more misses than successes when it comes to signings. Mansueto is by all accounts a fantastic owner with a willingness to invest. He deserves more bang for his buck, and so do Fire fans who spend their hard-earned dollars on this club.

The playoff math isn’t kind. Even after the win, the Fire are still six points back of the Columbus Crew for the seventh and final playoff spot, and the Crew have a game in hand. It still appears the Fire will need to win out in their final four matches, including Tuesday, to have a shot at the postseason. Even then, the Fire would finish on 47 points, and the Crew are tracking to finish around 48.

“Coming into these last games, we told them, guys, this is a challenge,” Fire coach Ezra Hendrickson said after the victory over Inter Miami. “But we can’t back down from it, you know, we’re going to face it. A lot of these teams that we’re going to play are fighting to do the same thing that we’re trying to do: that’s get into the playoffs, get above that line. So let’s fight with them, you know?”

With the two draws on the road prior to the Miami victory, the Fire are unbeaten in their last three. Jhon Durán was dangerous up top in the win over Miami, and you have to figure, despite the quick turnaround, that Hendrickson will give him the nod at the No. 9 again. But with injuries mounting, who else will be able to go again on such a short turnaround? Hendrickson will have some tough decisions to make.

Other matches to watch

There’s no scenario that would see the Fire officially eliminated until the weekend, but it could get far more grim. The Crew visit Inter Miami Tuesday night, where a victory would see them hit 44 points. A Chicago loss in Montreal would mean the Fire could max out at 44, but 5th place Orlando City and 6th place FC Cincinnati both sit at 42. Orlando plays Atlanta Wednesday, and Cincy’s idle until the weekend.

The big problem: both Miami (9th, 36 pts.) and Atlanta (10th, 36 pts.) are ahead of the Fire, as well. That means Fire fans should probably cheer for a draw in both Miami-Columbus and Orlando-Atlanta.

Shaq’s No. 8!

MLS released its annual list of the top selling player jerseys, and Fire star Xherdan Shaqiri checks in at No. 8. Here’s the top ten:
1. Gareth Bale (LAFC)
2. Christian Fuchs (Charlotte FC)
3. Carlos Vela (LAFC)
4. Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández (LA Galaxy)
5. Josef Martínez  (Atlanta United FC)
6. Raúl Ruidíaz (Seattle Sounders FC)
7. Karol Świderski (Charlotte FC)
8. Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire FC)
9. Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC)
10. Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)

How to Watch

CF Montreal vs. Chicago Fire

MLS Match Day #31 | Tuesday, September 13 | Saputo Stadium, Montreal, Quebec

Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Tyler Terens (play-by-play guy/Avery Labels enthusiast), Tony Meola (color commentator, U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Injury Reports

Chicago

• OUT: Gastón Giménez (right thigh)
• OUT: Fabian Herbers (right hip)
• OUT: Stanislav Ivanov (right quad)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Kacper Przybyłko (back)
• OUT: Chris Mueller (right hip)
• OUT: Jairo Torres (left lower leg)
• QUESTIONABLE: Brian Gutiérrez (right thigh)
• QUESTIONABLE: Mauricio Pineda (illness)

Montreal

• OUT: Tomas Giraldo (foot)
• OUT: Ahmed Hamdi (right leg)
• OUT: Lassi Lappalainen (adductor)

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, September 17 vs Charlotte FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7:00 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 1 at FC Cincinnati | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 9 vs. New England Revolution | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview | 1:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Prediction

Montreal comes in as a heavy favorite according to our friends at PointsBet: -140 for a Montreal win, +290 for a draw, and +360 for a Fire victory. This one feels like a safe bet for Montreal, but midweek games are sometimes very strange. We’ll say it ends 1-1.

The Fire’s Fabian Herbers was set to face Miami’s Gonzalo Higuain for the first time after making international headlines for trashing him on his podcast. Alas, Herbers is listed as out for the match with a hip issue, and we’ll be robbed of the matchup we all deserved.

Along with Herbers, the Fire will be missing Jairo Torres, Kacper Przybylko, Wyatt Omsberg, Gastón Giménez and Stanislav Ivanov, and may also be without Brian Gutiérrez who is questionable.

The Fire are now seven points out of the final playoff spot. With five games left, they’re still in a position where 13 out of 15 points (four wins and a draw) might do it, but it would likely take a five game winning streak for the Fire to crack the postseason, and even that’s not a sure thing.

“But for right now, the focus is on maximizing the points in these five games, and I think 15 points will put us at 47, which gives us a good chance,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said this week. “It’s not improbable, it’s not impossible but it’s going to take some work from us. But that’s our focus.”

The Fire haven’t won since Aug. 6 in Charlotte. Since then, it’s been three straight losses, followed by two draws on the road. If the team fails to take all three points today, a third straight season under Georg Heitz and Sebastian Pelzer will almost assuredly be a failure, and owner Joe Mansueto should immediately fire the duo. (In case you missed it, the Sun-Times’ Brian Sandalow has joined our call for Heitz’s dismissal.)

How to Watch

Chicago Fire vs. Inter Miami

MLS Match Day #30 | Saturday, September 10 | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL (the Fire were bumped to SeatGeek by the Bears’ season opener vs. the 49ers, which is Sunday at Soldier Field)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Tyler Terens (play-by-play guy/known by Chicago-area referees for using excessive dissent during adult league matches), Tony Meola (color commentator, U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Injury Report

Chicago

• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Fabian Herbers (right hip)
• OUT: Gastón Giménez (right thigh)
• OUT: Jairo Torres (left lower leg)
• OUT: Stanislav Ivanov (right quad)
• OUT: Kacper Przybyłko (back)
• QUESTIONABLE: Brian Gutiérrez (right thigh)

Inter Miami

• OUT: Ian Fray (knee)
• OUT: Robbie Robinson (hamstring)
• OUT: Brek Shea (hamstring)
• QUESTIONABLE: Leo Campana (quad)

Next Up for Chicago

Tuesday, September 13 at CF Montreal | Stade Saputo, Montreal, QC, Canada | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, September 17 vs Charlotte FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7:00 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 1 at FC Cincinnati | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 9 vs. New England Revolution | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview | 1:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Prediction

PointsBet has the Fire as solid favorites at home (+105 for a Fire win, +260 for a draw, +250 for a Miami victory). Considering the Fire haven’t even scored a goal since the 4-1 loss to Philly on Aug. 13, that feels a bit optimistic. We’ll say Miami takes it 1-0.

And that’s after adding Xherdan Shaqiri, who was brought in to unlock opposing defenses, and Kacper Przybylko, who was MLS’s third-leading scorer since he entered the league. After those two high profile signings, the Fire are somehow worse at scoring.

The Fire’s xG comes in at just over 36–not particularly stellar to begin with, and they’re still underperforming it by eight goals. Look at it this way, if they’d just scored one goal in four of the team’s seven 0-0 games this season, they’d be in 5th on 44 points.

Here’s how Ezra Hendrickson sees it:

“So our ability to get from defending to attack, transitioning from mid-block to the front half has to improve so that we can create more chances,” the Fire head coach said. “I think the situation right now, we are not creating enough chances and that’s largely because of our inability to keep the ball once we have recovered it or once we’ve won it from an opponent.”

It doesn’t take an expert to know the Fire’s attack is toothless. Dive into the numbers, however, and it’s probably worse than you thought. Check out this table, produced by @OldOverlap using data from FBRef, and you’ll get a better idea:

Compared to other No. 9 +10 combos in the East, the Fire’s duo is way underperforming. Przybylko and Shaqiri have just 24 shots on target, half that of successful teams. Their percentage of shots on target is a dismal 27.2. And check out the non penalty goals plus assists per 90 column (npG+A/90): Shaqiri and Przybylko are producing at a dismal rate.

Remember, Georg Heitz and Sebastian Pelzer reportedly paid Lyon $7.5 million in a transfer fee for Shaqiri, and the club’s paying him another $8.15 million per season, according to data from the MLS Players Association. And what’s perhaps more maddening, the Fire gave Philadelphia $1.15 million in GAM for Przybylko– money the club essentially got from the sale of Djordje Mihailovic to Montreal, who is one of the higher performers on this list. Meanwhile, Jim Curtin’s attack has improved this season with Przybylko off the books, and Montreal was able to flip Mihailovic $6 million to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands.

You have to feel for a guy like defender and team captain Rafael Czichos, who’s not only anchoring a Fire defense that has 12 shutouts this season, but also has more non-penalty goals (3) than Shaqiri (2).

The Fire’s defense is playoff caliber, but you can’t win if you can’t score. Is this toothless attack a deficiency in Hendrickson’s 4-2-3-1 system? Are Przybylko and Shaqiri’s lingering injuries preventing them from playing better? Or did the Fire flat out get it wrong with two more big signings? Will the same sporting staff that brought you Robert Berić, Ignacio Aliseda, Shaqiri and Przybylko get another crack at fixing this yet again during the off-season?

At Wednesday’s weekly news conference, Hendrickson was asked what areas he’d want to upgrade this off season:

“I think our ability to put the ball in the back of the net is a big concern,” he said.

The Fire will try to keep their playoff hopes alive with a win Saturday against Inter Miami. Last time these teams met, on the season opener in February, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. We didn’t know it at the time, but that result would foreshadow the rest of the season–stout defense, with no bite going forward.

“It’s a final,” Navarro said Wednesday. “We are playing in a final, and we know that it’s a very, very important game, not only on Saturday but every game from now on. And we’ve been –we know that we are going to go out there and play the game of our lives.”

The Venezuelan defender is right. The Fire will certainly need to go five straight unbeaten to finish the season if they want any chance of making the playoffs, and at least four of those will have to be wins. Thirteen points out of 15 might do it; 15 of 15 will probably get it done, but even that’s not guaranteed.

Defensively, the Fire are one of the better teams in MLS. Goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina is second in the league in clean sheets, at 12, and he’s trailing a couple really strong goalkeepers from good teams who are tied at the top of the list: Philadelphia’s Andre Blake and NYCFC’s Sean Johnson.

But on the attack, the Fire are dismal. They’re bottom of the league in goals scored by a wide margin, and even after spending many millions in transfer fees and salaries on players like Xherdan Shaqiri, Jairo Torres, Chris Mueller and Kacper Przybylko, the Fire struggle to create chances. Flat out, it’s not working.

“I think our ability to put the ball in the back of the net is a big concern,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “Right now, with 12 shutouts, you’d expect a team with 12 shutouts to be above the playoff line but it’s a team that’s not scoring, with 27 goals on the year, that’s just not good enough.”

The Fire have played in seven 0-0 games this season, including the last two matches. If they’d found a way to score just one goal in half of those, they’d be above the playoff line.

“It is a little bit frustrating to see that that defensive effort doesn’t maybe translate offensively,” Navarro said. “So we are not completing the opportunities that we are creating and we are lacking a little bit there. But I think that hopefully for the remaining games, we are able to maintain those shutouts and keep going, and then also translate that into goals so that we can score more goals because we know that’s what we need to be able to win.”

The Fire-Inter Miami match kicks off at 7 p.m. CT Saturday. With Soldier Field busy with the Bears’ season opener the following day, it will be played back at the Fire’s former home, SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.

Injury Updates

Hendrickson said Xherdan Shaqiri, Rafael Czichos, and Brian Gutierrez are all back in training, but Jairo Torres is still out. Defender Wyatt Omsberg, who broke his foot over the summer, is out of his boot, but he’s still not ready to return.

With 31 points, the Chicago Fire aren’t technically eliminated from playoff contention, but it will take a spectacular closing act to even sniff the postseason. The Fire have six games left, including Saturday’s match in Columbus, and Chicago will need to win at least five of those to have a realistic chance of advancing out of the regular season for the first time since 2017.

Not impossible, but certainly not likely, especially if you’ve watched this team over the last month. On Wednesday, the Fire grabbed a point away from home in a draw with the New England Revolution. It wasn’t a bad result in a bubble, but considering the circumstances, it wasn’t nearly good enough. It’s not really surprising, considering most things in the Georg Heitz/Sebastian Pelzer era haven’t worked as planned. It’s year three of this project, and the Fire are closing out yet another season having dug themselves way too deep of a hole.

How’s Shaqiri feeling?

After playing the closing 10 minutes in New England, and asking to come out in the loss to CF Montreal before that, Xherdan Shaqiri is again listed as questionable for the Columbus match with the quad tightness issue that’s bothered him at times this season.

“Where we are right now, three points is what we need,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said of the decision to play Shaqiri in New England. “We weren’t just going to settle. Had this game been back in May or April, Shaq would not have played tonight. It’s a situation that we need to get our best players on the pitch, if possible. If it’s physically possible.” 

Don’t Remind Me

Last time these two teams met, the Fire jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the half, before conceding three straight in the second half to lose 3-2. A tactical shift by Crew coach Caleb Porter was the spark, leaving Hendrickson and the Fire with no answer for Columbus’ speedy wingers. The loss was especially painful for Hendrickson, who watched his old club and his old boss get the better of him in their first matchup against one another. Hendrickson was, of course, on Porter’s bench as an assistant when the Crew won MLS Cup in 2020.

Bright Spots

It’s not all doom and gloom for the Fire. Gaga Slonina is ranked third in MLS in clean sheets, with 11. He’s two back of NYCFC’s Sean Johnson, and one behind Philadelphia’s Andre Blake.

And, Federico Navarro leads all of MLS with 114 tackles, 13 ahead of Claudio Bravo. Both Navarro and Slonina have had solid individual seasons despite the team’s overall lack of success.

How to Watch

Columbus Crew vs. Chicago Fire

MLS Match Day #29 | Saturday, September 3 | Lower.com Field, Columbus, OH

Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Tyler Terens (play-by-play guy/Hobart College legend), Tony Meola (color commentator/Hall of Famer/possesses a unique ability to tolerate Terens more than most)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Injury Report

Chicago

QUESTIONABLE: Javier Casas, Jr. (right lower leg), Rafael Czichos (left knee), Xherdan Shaqiri (left quad), Federico Navarro (left quad)
OUT: Gastón Giménez (right hamstring), Stanislav Ivanov (right quad), Wyatt Omsberg (left foot), Jairo Torres (left lower leg)

Columbus

QUESTIONABLE: Lucas Zelarayan – Right thigh injury

OUT: Pedro Santos – Right thigh injury

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, September 10 vs Inter Miami | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview | 7:00 p.m. CT, WGN

Tuesday, September 13 at CF Montreal | Stade Saputo, Montreal, QC, Canada | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, September 17 vs Charlotte FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7:00 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 1 at FC Cincinnati | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 9 vs. New England Revolution | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview | 1:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Prediction

The Crew are, not surprisingly, heavy favorites. PointsBet has Columbus to win at -105, a draw at +270, and a Fire victory also at +270. I have no reason to believe PointsBet is wrong on this one. Crew win 3-1.

The team sits in 13th on 30 points, only six points back of the seventh place Columbus Crew, but with a glut of teams between themselves and the red line. The Revs, meanwhile, are in 9th, just two back of the Crew, so they’ll be looking to avoid a letdown at home.

The Fire will need somewhere around 46 points to make the playoffs. With seven games left–including tonight–it’s possible, but it will be very, very difficult. That would mean taking 16 points from the remaining matches–something like five wins, and one or two draws would do it.

“Our aspirations are still to make the playoffs,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “We have seven games, and we just need to get as many points as we can out of the 21 possible, because it’s starting to get a little tough now.”

The Fire could enter the match without all three designated players. Gastón Giménez is out for the season, Jairo Torres is also listed as out for this one, and Xherdan Shaqiri is questionable after asking to come out of the CF Montreal loss in the 30th minute after the team went down 2-0.

Team captain Rafael Czichos and midfielder/defender Mauricio Pineda are also both questionable, meaning Hendrickson may have tough task figuring out who will step up if all those players are indeed missing.

This is the first of two away matches this week, with the Fire visiting the Columbus Crew on Saturday. A couple wins would catapult the Fire back into contention, but two more losses will all but end their 2022 season.

Sorry, Wyatt

When Fire defender Wyatt Omsberg joined us on the CHGO Fire Podcast a few months ago, we asked him to choose which stadium–anywhere in the world–where he’d most want to play. He did not choose Camp Nou or Old Trafford or Signal Iduna Park. Instead, the native New Englander and big Patriots fan chose noted soccer cathedral Gillette Stadium.

Sadly, because of his foot injury, Omsberg won’t be able to realize his dream tonight. We’re thinking of you, Wyatt. Get well soon.

How to Watch

New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire

MLS Match Day #28 | Wednesday, August 31 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Tyler Terens (play-by-play/New York Jets enthusiast), Tony Meola (color commentator/New York Jets kicker for one preseason when Tyler was a baby)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Injury Report

Chicago

OUT: Gastón Giménez (right hamstring), Wyatt Omsberg (left foot), Jairo Torres (left lower leg)

QUESTIONABLE: Javier Casas, Jr. (right lower leg), Rafael Czichos (left knee), Xherdan Shaqiri (left quad), Mauricio Pineda (left foot)

New England

OUT: Jacob Jackson (leg), Ismael Tajouri-Shradi (leg)

QUESTIONABLE: Giacomo Vrioni (leg), Dylan Borrero (leg), Wilfrid Kaptoum (leg)

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, September 3 | at Columbus Crew | Lower.com Field, Columbus, OH | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, September 10 | vs Inter Miami | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL |  7:00 p.m. CT, WGN

Tuesday, September 13 | at CF Montreal | Stade Saputo, Montreal, QC, Canada | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, September 17 vs Charlotte FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7:00 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 1 at FC Cincinnati | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 9 vs. New England Revolution | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview | 1:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Prediction

PointsBet has the Fire as heavy underdogs tonight (-125 for a Revs win, +290 for a draw, +320 for a Fire win.) I see no possible way the Fire get out of Massachusetts with three points, but I said that before the Philadelphia Union midweek game a few weeks ago that the Fire won 1-0, so I know nothing. Still, I say the Revs win this one 2-0.

I wrote after that stretch that I’ve never been happier to be wrong, but that we wouldn’t truly know if the Fire were any good until after this latest run against the three best teams in MLS’s Eastern Conference–the Philadelphia Union, NYCFC, and CF Montreal. Well, now we have a much clearer picture, and it’s not good.

The Fire are now losers of three straight, and none of the three matches were particularly close. The latest loss–a 2-0 defeat to CF Montreal on Saturday, saw the Fire fail to take advantage of a first half Montreal red card. Playing a man up for more than half the match, Chicago was content to move the ball slowly, rather than quickly trying to exploit the numerical advantage.

It didn’t help that the team’s highest paid player in history, Xherdan Shaqiri, asked to come out of yet another match–this time in only the 30th minute–after the team went down 2-0. Head coach Ezra Hendrickson explained that Shaqiri was “a little tight in the quad” and that it was “nothing serious.” The first few times this happened this season, fans were concerned. By now, though, everyone’s figured it out. Much like last week when he opted to play zero defense on NYCFC’s first goal, this is just what Shaq does. He’s treating MLS, and the Fire, as his World Cup preseason. None of this really seems to matter to him–it’s all about being fit in Qatar.

Shaqiri leads the team with 11 assists, and, in small flashes, he’s been brilliant. But what must his teammates think when their “leader” walks off the pitch right after going down 2-0? It was fitting that Shaqiri was replaced by Fabian Herbers–a guy with less skill but far more heart. Herbers made international headlines earlier this season for ripping Inter Miami’s Gonzalo Higuain’s poor attitude on his podcast. Now, it seems there’s a Higuain situation on his own team. I also feel for Hendrickson, who seems to have his hands tied. Shaqiri’s good enough that, if healthy, he needs to be on the pitch. But when he’s asking to come out, what is Hendrickson supposed to do? You’d have to think that if this were any other player, his ass would be parked on the bench for good.

After the match, it was Herbers who best summed up the team’s playoff chances.

“If we play like this, we have no chance,” the German midfielder said. “We don’t even have to talk about playoffs, you know, it’s not possible. We have to come together as a team and play better. Obviously, it’s still possible mathematically, but the chances have slimmed down and we dig ourselves a bigger hole every time.” 

There’s no time to rest. The Fire travel to New England on Wednesday for a midweek match against the Revolution, then it’s on to Columbus on Saturday. Both teams are above the Fire in the table, right in the thick of the playoff race. All of the remaining seven matches are against teams in the East, and six of the seven are against teams battling for the final playoff spot (the lone exception is Sept. 13 in Montreal).

Sure, it’s still possible the Fire make the postseason. Mathematically, at least. FiveThirtyEight gives the Fire an eight percent chance! But, in year three of Georg Heitz’s tenure as sporting director, this team is in the exact same spot–below the playoff line, hoping for a spark to turn the season around. Merely making the playoffs is still the minimum measure of success, and fans are still being asked to be patient. Designated players are still drastically underperforming. Meanwhile, in Switzerland it’s still very early, but the Chicago’s sister club Lugano is in seventh out of 10 teams, and former Fire coach Raphael Wicky’s Young Boys top the table.

Heitz is still very much in charge. He was busy last week overhauling things at the Fire Academy. But, what measurable success has he demonstrated to continue to make such large decisions? How much more time does he get?

Look on the bright side, though. If the Fire miss the playoffs again, Shaqiri can use that extra month to rest up for the World Cup, and Heitz will get a longer offseason to work on his next rebuild.

So, needless to say, it’s essentially a must-win for Chicago, who will be looking to bounce back from a dismal, listless 2-0 loss to NYCFC last weekend.

“We just know that we cannot put out another game like we did on Sunday,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “It was very embarrassing if I’m being honest at home. I’ve been around this league since ’97 and as a player, as an assistant coach and now as a head coach, there’s always one game and every team I’ve been on where the team just doesn’t show up. For whatever reason, it just doesn’t happen on that day.

“Normally you see that on the road and it was very surprising to me that being at home we showed up like that and as a coach, I take responsibility for that because it’s my job to get these guys ready to play and ready to be inspired to play, and ready to go out there and perform like we do in training and that didn’t happen on Sunday, so I take responsibility for that.”

The Fire will be without designated player Gastón Giménez, who had season-ending surgery on his hamstring this week. Mauricio Pineda is also listed as questionable, but Hendrickson suggested this week that Jairo Torres may get a start in a central midfield role. That could open things up for the Fire’s number one utility man, Fabian Herbers, to rejoin the starting XI.

“For me, the position, my strength was always to be very version tile and to play several positions,” Herbers said. “I’ve always throughout my career have played in different positions, so wherever the coach needs me, wherever he puts me, I’m obviously happy to play. I want to say my natural position is maybe the right wing but again, I’ve played on the left. I’ve played years prior on number 10. And I’ve played the 6 or the 8 as well. So I’m fine with that and I’m flexible and I’m just happy as long as I’m playing.”

You Know Who’s Coming Back

After agreeing to a deal this week to join AZ Alkmaar this January, Montreal playmaker Djordje Mihailovic is back with his current club. The Lemont native spent the beginning of his career with the Fire, before he was traded to Montreal in late 2020. It’s Djordje’s last chance to play before his hometown fans, and you know he’ll be amped up and ready to go, trying to put on a show. Mihailovic has seven goals and four assists so far in 2022.

The Fire will retain a 10-percent sell-on fee as part of Mihailovic’s reported $6 million move to the Netherlands.

How to Watch

Chicago Fire vs. Club de Foot Montreal

MLS Match Day #27 | Saturday, August 27 | Soldier Field, Chicago

Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Arlo White (play-by-play), Tony Meola (color commentator), Tyler Terens (American icon/sideline reporter/fan of relegation candidates Liverpool)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Injury Report

Chicago

• QUESTIONABLE: Mauricio Pineda (left foot), Carlos Terán (left lower leg)
• OUT: Gastón Giménez (right hamstring), Stanislav Ivanov (right thigh), Miguel Navarro (yellow card accumulation), Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)

Montreal

• TBA

Next Up for Chicago

Wednesday, August 31 | at New England Revolution | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, September 3 | at Columbus Crew | Lower.com Field, Columbus, OH | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, September 10 | vs Inter Miami | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL |  7:00 p.m. CT, WGN

Tuesday, September 13 | at CF Montreal | Stade Saputo, Montreal, QC, Canada | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, September 17 vs Charlotte FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7:00 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 1 at FC Cincinnati | TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, OH | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, October 9 vs. New England Revolution | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview | 1:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Prediction

The Fire are slight favorites according to PointsBet (+135 vs. +190, with +250 for a draw). With this one back on the Soldier Field turf, we say it ends 0-0. Bet the draw.

“It’s going to be a big miss, but you know, we have capable guys that can do the job, that have done the job while Gastón has been out earlier in the season, but it’s definitely going to be a big miss for us,” Fire coach Ezra Hendrickson said.

Hendrickson has a few options to replace Giménez. He could continue to start Mauricio Pineda, or opt for Fabian Herbers. But, Hendrickson suggested he might go a different direction.

“Possibly Jairo Torres is someone we are thinking about maybe can play inside,” Hendrickson said. “We have not discussed a formation change because the team was built a certain way. Really for the last eight games, we’d put certain guys out of position. But Jairo has played in the middle. He has shown he can play there.”

Torres played centrally for Atlas in Liga MX before moving to MLS. While he’s been underwhelming since joining the Fire on May 1, a change of position might be what he needs to get things going.

Other injury updates: Defender Carlos Terán will be ready to play Saturday vs. CF Montreal at Soldier Field, Hendrickson said. Terán, who was out a few weeks with a hamstring injury, came back for the 2-0 loss to NYCFC, only to come out in the second half when his leg began cramping up.

And, Hendrickson said there’s no update on centerback Wyatt Omsberg, who is recovering from a broken foot. At this point, there’s a reasonable chance Omsberg won’t play again this season.

Fire announce trade with LA Galaxy

For those who love a random MLS trade, here you go: the Fire are picking up $50,000 in General Allocation Money from the LA Galaxy, in exchange for a 2022 international roster spot. CHGO is told the move, coupled with the $325,000 in General Allocation Money the Fire got in the Chinonso Offor trade, will help the club “maximize the cap in certain ways next season.” So there you go.

Djordje Moving to AZ Alkmaar

Former Fire homegrown Djordje Mihailovic will move to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in January, in a deal officially announced today. The deal could be north of $6 million, according to MLSsoccer.com’s Tom Bogert. The Fire will get 10 percent of the deal, so somewhere around $600,000, as part of Mihailovic’s trade to Montreal. A source tells CHGO that money is fully convertible to General Allocation Money.

Mihailovic missed last week’s match while he was in the Netherlands finalizing the deal, but he’s likely back this weekend against the Fire at Soldier Field. You can bet Djordje will be hungry to put on a show–one last time–in Chicago.

Back at Soldier Field

The Fire have just two matches left at Soldier Field this season-Saturday vs. Montreal and the Sept. 17 match vs. Charlotte. The other two–Sept. 10 against Inter Miami and Oct. 9 vs. the Revolution–have been moved to SeatGeek Stadium because of Bears scheduling conflicts.

The first 5,000 fans will get a pretty sweet giveaway this weekend–a model of the old version of Soldier Field–pre-spaceship renovation. Check it out:

The Fire and Montreal kick off at 7 on Saturday. With just eight games, the Fire will desperately need a win–and the three points that come with it–to stay in the playoff race.

“We see it as a 24-point season right now,” Hendrickson said. “Just getting as much as you can get. We think anywhere from 15 to 18 will do it but you know, it’s still left to be seen because you have to figure in what happens with the other games.”

In all sports, but especially in soccer, there are many times where one team is simply better than the other. Fans and media will overreact to a loss, but the simple fact is better teams force mistakes upon bad teams. Sunday night, that wasn’t the case. After four straight without a win, NYCFC was content to sit in a low block and defend, but the Fire couldn’t, or, perhaps worse, didn’t care to pounce on the limping defending champions.

Why? Why would a team with so much to play for come out with no fight?

“I wish I could give you an explanation but I don’t have one because, as I just told them inside, that was very disappointing,” Fire coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “That was by far our worst performance this year. And to give that type of performance at this time of the year, this crucial, critical time of the season, it’s just not acceptable.”

Several times during his news conference, Hendrickson placed the blame squarely on his shoulders, saying it was his job to have the players ready to play, and they weren’t. But Hendrickson can’t make his players run, or defend, or pay attention to the game.

Five bad moments that killed the game

On NYCFC’s first goal, Gabriel Pereira found himself in an ocean of space a few yards outside the Fire’s 18-yard-box, and cracked a perfectly placed shot to the right upper 90, which gave Gaga Slonina almost no chance to save it. But it was what happened before that which summed up the Fire’s day: with both defensive midfielders pulled wide marking others, Xherdan Shaqiri watched Pereira run right by him into space before he received the pass, and made zero effort–not even a light jog–to try to keep up. Chris Mueller came flying in soon after, Boris Sekulić tried to step but he was late, Carlos Terán watched flat-footed, and Pereira was allowed to shoot with little resistance.

Some might argue that it’s not Shaqiri’s job to defend, that he’s paid to score and assist. While that’s partially true, it’s 2022, and even star attacking players need to defend at least sometimes. What would Jurgen Klopp have said if Shaqiri had pulled that at Liverpool?

Here’s what Shaqiri said when I asked him about the goal:

“It was a nice shot to be fair, he put it in the correct corner. It was difficult to defend this.”

And here’s his answer, after I pressed him on why Pereira found himself in so much space:

“We can defend better, everybody, and we have to show our mistakes and try to do better in the next game. Simple.”

Weak answer, to be sure.

In contrast, Fire captain Rafael Czichos took a lot more ownership of his role in NYCFC’s second goal. A minute or so into the second half, Czichos was dispossessed by a pressing Pereira, and Santiago Rodriguez won the ball and slotted home the 2-0 goal. It looked like Pereira fouled Czichos on the play, but the VAR official determined it was clean.

After the match, Czichos took blame, even though Pereira clearly stepped on his foot.

“I don’t know if he touched me,” Czichos said. “I think the situation was over or I thought the situation was over. Then I got the ball, I didn’t see the guy coming from the left and then I tried everything to find the solution to get out of the situation. Unfortunately, he didn’t whistle and yeah, second goal, and then it’s really hard to come back against New York City FC.”

It wasn’t just the two goals that burned the Fire. There were plenty of other examples of poor play and weird decisions. At one point toward the end of the first half, Mauricio Pineda was driving down the right sideline with the ball. Jairo Torres, who was ineffective for most of the day, inexplicably slowed down with his back turned right in front of Pineda, clogging the area and causing a turnover. Torres could have run forward or sideways to pull his mark away from the charging Pineda, but instead he made the worst possible decision.

The Fire also had trouble switching the point of attack over the top of NYCFC’s low block, especially with Gastón Giménez missing from the match. Several long balls were nowhere near the player open in space on the opposite side of the field, and when they did arrive, poor first touches forced turnovers more often than not.

After Carlos Terán went down after re-injuring his hamstring, which was not entirely unexpected considering he injured it fairly recently, Hendrickson opted to bring on Brian Gutierrez as a wingback and switch to a 3-5-2. The Fire looked confused in the system, and it failed to produce a goal. To Hendrickson’s credit, however, he was able to explain after the match what he was thinking.

“We were down 2-0 at the time too so putting another defender on probably wasn’t the right thing,” Hendrickson said. “We wanted to somehow get Chris (Mueller) and Guti on the wings, with Jairo and Shaq and Fabi (Herbers) in the middle, with (Jhon) Duran. You know, just try and get some more attacking players on the pitch rather than come in with another centerback.”

What now?

The loss leaves the Fire in 12th, five points back of seventh place Columbus. The Crew have a game in hand, too, meaning it’s now looking like it might take 47 or even 48 points to make the postseason.

Even if it’s only 46, that means the Fire will now have to average two points-per-game in their final eight. For a team that was on such an upswing a couple weeks ago, these last two losses have really hurt.

“We just gotta remain confident and I gotta make sure I instill that confidence in them, that we have not reached our ceiling, that our ceiling is above the line,” Hendrickson said of his team’s chances.

The window’s shrinking, but it’s not completely closed. The Fire host second-placed CF Montreal Saturday night back at Soldier Field, where three points will again be an absolute must. Let’s see if, this time, the players treat it that way from the opening whistle.

They’ll need to take all three points Sunday night against NYCFC. After a couple concerts and a Bears game, the Fire expected the grass to be trashed at Soldier Field, so this one will be played at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Fire/NYCFC matches always seem to have a vagabond feel lately–NYCFC had to host Chicago at Citi Field earlier this season (which ended in a 1-0 win for the Cityzens), and the Fire beat the New York side 2-0 at SeatGeek Stadium last fall in Raphael Wicky’s last game in charge.

This match falls in the middle of a very tough stretch for the Fire. Last week saw the team lose 4-1 to Philadelphia. This week it’s third-placed NYCFC, and next weekend Chicago hosts second-placed Montreal.

“Every game that we play is going to be difficult,” Hendrickson said. “We’re all fighting for something, you know. The teams at the top, Philly, Montréal, NYCFC, they’re fighting to keep their position and hope for home field advantage. And the other teams that we’re going to face, the Columbus, the Cincy, New England, Miami, etc., we’re all fighting to get into the playoffs, and every week, it’s like a seesaw.”

Defender Carlos Terán is listed as questionable, but he’s a good bet to return to the lineup alongside Rafael Czichos this week. If he does, Mauricio Pineda can slide to midfield in place of Gastón Giménez, who is out with a hamstring issue he suffered against Philly.

Shaq is dishing

Xherdan Shaqiri has provided an assist on four of the Fire’s last five goals, including the last three in a row. Shaqiri has scored (4) or assisted (11) more than half (15/28) of the Fire’s MLS goals this season.

Going to the match?

If you’re driving, parking will be $25 at SeatGeek. The Fire are also running Pub to Pitch busses from three locations, starting at 3:30 p.m.

• Heineken Pub97 at Fire Pitch (3626 N Talman Ave, Chicago, IL 60618)
• Roots Pizza (1924 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622)
• One City Tap (3115 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60608)

How to Watch

Chicago Fire vs. NYCFC

MLS Match Day #26 | Sunday, August 21 | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL

Kickoff: 5 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Arlo White (play-by-play), Tony Meola (color commentator), Tyler Terens (Your friendly sideline reporter. He works hard and plays even harder.)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Injury Report

Chicago

• QUESTIONABLE: Jhon Espinoza (right knee)
• QUESTIONABLE: Carlos Teran (right thigh)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Stanislav Ivanov (right thigh)
• OUT: Gastón Giménez (right thigh)

NYCFC

• OUT: Keaton Parks (calf)
• OUT: Alexander Callens (MCL)
• OUT: Gabriel Pereira (lower body)
• QUESTIONABLE: Tayvon Gray (questionable)

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, August 27 | vs. CF Montreal | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN

Wednesday, August 31 | at New England Revolution | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, September 3 | at Columbus Crew | Lower.com Field, Columbus, OH | 6:30 PM WGN

Saturday, September 10 | vs Inter Miami | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL |  7:00 PM WGN

Tuesday, September 13 | at CF Montreal | Stade Saputo, Montreal, QC, Canada | 6:30 PM WGN

Saturday, September 17 vs Charlotte FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7:00 PM WGN

Prediction

Our friends at PointsBet have the Fire as slight favorites (+135 to +185, with a draw coming in at +260). NYCFC have dropped three in a row, and we say that continues Sunday. The Fire will win 2-0, and stay firmly in the playoff race.

“Terán is probable for this weekend. I would say more probable than not,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said.

That’s good news, because midfielder Gastón Giménez is “likely out” with the hamstring injury he suffered in the 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union, Hendrickson said. If Terán can start alongside fellow centerback Rafael Czichos, that frees up Mauricio Pineda to move to midfield to cover for Giménez.

“He’s like a beast, and it’s good to have him next to me,” Czichos said of Terán. “He’s so fast. A lot of difficult situations he has always a good solution. Because of his speed, he’s a big help for me and the other defenders, so I’m excited to be next to him again.”

If it’s not Pineda, Hendrickson could opt for the always reliable Fabian Herbers in central midfield. He’s mostly played wide for Hendrickson in 2022, but Herbers played well centrally under Raphael Wicky in 2020 and 2021. Homegrown Javier Casas is also an option, after picking up a few minutes against Philly.

Back to SeatGeek

With two concerts following a Bears game this week, the Fire made the preemptive call to move this weekend’s match to SeatGeek Stadium. The turf at Soldier Field has been poor on weeks that are far less busy than this one, and it’s a good bet it will be a disaster come Sunday.

“It doesn’t matter for us as a team,” Czichos said of the move. “We want to play a much better game than we did last weekend, and if it’s at Soldier Field, or here at SeatGeek, it doesn’t matter for us as a team.”

For Hendrickson, the move matters. He’s tried to foster the idea that Soldier Field is the team’s “fortress,” and moving away from it is unfortunate, but necessary.

“We would love to have all of our games at Soldier Field, but with the challenges that we’re facing with that field right now..We don’t want to have to move our games or move too many games, but with the situation that we’re facing right now, we have no choice,” Hendrickson said.

On the flip side, for longtime fans with fond memories of games in Bridgeview, the move is a chance to watch the team they love in a special place. After Sunday, the Fire have two more home games in each stadium–Aug. 27 (Montreal) and Sept. 17 (Charlotte) at Soldier Field, and Sept. 10 (Miami) and Oct. 9 (New England) at SeatGeek.

How many points will it take?

Last season, it took 48 points to grab the seventh and final playoff spot in the East, but this year it’s tracking a bit lower. Right now Inter Miami is in control of the spot, with 33 points through 25 games. For a full, 34 game season, that’s 44.88 points, meaning 46, or even 45, might do the trick.

The Fire have 30 points, meaning they’ll need to find 15 or 16 over the final nine matches. Five wins at home and a draw on the road would probably be good enough, but that’s easier said than done.

“We need 15, 16 points, and we can’t get them all at once,” Hendrickson said. “So, every game, we prepare for that game and try to get maximum points. We know at home it’s very, very important that we get full points.”

That starts Sunday at 5 p.m. in Bridgeview.

We know this much. After five straight unbeaten, with four wins including two away from home, we know the Fire aren’t the Wooden Spoon contenders we thought they were earlier this season. But is this team actually good? Can this team sneak into the playoffs, and make some noise?

We’ll gain a very clear idea over these next few weeks. It’s the toughest run of the season for Chicago, beginning Saturday night in Chester, PA against the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Union.

“They are at the top of the East for a reason,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said. “They are a very good team. Yes, we did beat them at home earlier this year, which you know, gives us some confidence there. The way we’ve been playing lately also gives us some confidence. But we know that historically they are a hard team to play against at home at their place.”

In June, the Fire were able to take all three points off the Union in a midweek match, where Hendrickson’s side did a good job exploiting the gaps in Jim Curtin’s 4-4-2 diamond. But that Philly team was tired and a bit shorthanded, and Federico Navarro’s 68th minute goal was good enough to take the win. The Fire are flying high, taking 13 points since that match, but Philadelphia has 16 points since then. They were winners of five straight before a 3-1 loss to FC Cincinnati last time out.

For the Fire, this positive form is a pleasant surprise. For Philadelphia, it’s expected.

“We know it’s going to be a hard game,” midfielder Gastón Giménez said. “It’s going to be a good game, very complicated, but you have to fight and I think in this league, you’ve seen that every game is an opportunity to win. It’s a very equal, even league in which any team can win on a given day, and so we are going to be in the fight.”

It doesn’t get much easier after this one. Next week the Fire host NYCFC at SeatGeek Stadium, then it’s back to Soldier Field for a match against Djordje Mihailovic’s CF Montreal, before closing the month at Gillette Stadium against the New England Revolution (we know it pains Wyatt Omsberg to be hurt for that one). The Fire are sitting on 30 points, tied with several other teams. If they can somehow hang onto a playoff spot through the end of this month, they may actually live up to their preseason hype, and could not only make the playoffs, but actually win a game or two. If they fall on their faces, it’ll be a different story entirely.

Shaq’s surging

Xherdan Shaqiri registered two assists against Charlotte in the Fire’s 3-2 win. He’s now 4th in MLS in “chances created from open play” (40) per Opta, and is tied for 4th in assists, with 10. After a slow start, he’s finally starting to become the player Fire fans expected to see when he signed before the 2022 season.

How to Watch

Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire

MLS Match Day #25 | Saturday, August 13 | Subaru Park, Chester, PA

Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Tyler Terens (back with a vengeance on the play-by-play mic), Tony Meola (color commentator)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Injury Report

Chicago

• OUT: Jhon Espinoza (right knee)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Stanislav Ivanov (right thigh)
• OUT: Carlos Teran (right thigh)

Philadelphia

• OUT: None
• QUESTIONABLE: None

Next Up for Chicago

Sunday, August 21 | vs. New York City FC | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL | 5:00 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Saturday, August 27 | vs. CF Montreal | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN

Wednesday, August 31 | at New England Revolution | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN

Saturday, September 3 | at Columbus Crew | Lower.com Field, Columbus, OH | 6:30 PM WGN

Saturday, September 10 | vs Inter Miami | SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL |  7:00 PM WGN

Tuesday, September 13 | at CF Montreal | Stade Saputo, Montreal, QC, Canada | 6:30 PM WGN

Saturday, September 17 vs Charlotte FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7:00 PM WGN

Prediction

Our friends at PointsBet have Philly as heavy favorites (-130 vs. +340). While the Fire are red hot, we don’t see a win coming in Chester. But, we’ll say Chicago grabs a point, and they keep the unbeaten streak rolling. 1-1.

Jhon Durán seemed like a lock to start at the No. 9 for the remainder of the season, until Kacper Przybylko came back from the dead with a two-goal performance against Charlotte FC. With Saturday’s match against the first-placed Philadelphia Union looming, Hendrickson isn’t giving any hints as to what he’s thinking up top.

“We’ve got a good battle going,” Hendrickson told CHGO. “As a coach, you know, it’s good to have that kind of problem where you know, both players in that position are playing really well right now. So it’s still a matter of, you know, finishing out tomorrow and see –making a decision with that. It’s going to be a decision based on who we think would best fit for that game.”

One guy who will almost surely start is centerback and team captain Rafael Czichos. He rejoined his teammates in training this week after missing the Charlotte match with a non-Covid related illness. The Fire’s back line looked shaky early on without him–giving up a goal in the opening minute–but Jonathan Bornstein and Mauricio Pineda were able to calm things down and help the team secure the win with their captain home in Chicago.

Facing Philly again

Last time these teams met, it was the Fire coming out with a surprise 1-0 win over the Union in a midweek clash in late June. That win seemed like a fluke at the time, but since then the Fire have climbed from last place all the way to a playoff position.

This time the two teams will meet at Subaru Park, and Hendrickson knows it won’t be easy.

“Yes, it’s a very tough opponent, but every opponent from here on forward is going to be hard,” Hendrickson said. “It’s going to be difficult because everybody is fighting to get in the playoffs. They are obviously fighting to be first in the East to get that bye and also may push for the Supporter Shield. I think it’s going to be a competitive match and I think it’s going to be one that both teams are going to be up for.”

The Fire have a brutal stretch to close the month, with consecutive matches against Philadelphia (1st place), NYCFC (2nd place), and Montreal (3rd place). On the CHGO Fire Podcast this week, we debated how many points it would take to consider these next three matches a success. We settled on this: Four is probably the bare minimum, five would keep the unbeaten streak going, and six on up would have the Fire climbing even higher in the standings. The Union match is the one one of the three away from home, so grabbing a point Saturday should be considered a success.

How close is Kendall Burks?

The injuries to Wyatt Omsberg and Carlos Terán has things razor thin on the right side of central defense. While Pineda is holding things down, many fans have wondered how close first round draft pick Kendall Burks is to making an appearance.

“He has six, seven months under his belt,” Hendrickson said. “C.J. Brown works with him specifically individually. He’s ready to go when called upon. He’s just, in order of our center backs right now, he’s not the next guy up right now but if we have to put him in the match, we’ll do so.”

Other news and notes

• Chicago will take on Mexican side Leon in a friendly at SeatGeek Stadium on Sept. 24. The Fire aren’t the hosts or organizers of the event, however. Leon reached out about a friendly, and it worked for the Fire’s schedule, so they said yes. It’s during the Sept. international window, so it will be a good chance for guys who aren’t with their national teams to get match minutes.
• The Fire announced the signing of midfielder Harold Osorio to Fire II this week. Osorio is from El Salvador, and joins Chicago from Alianza Futbol Club.
• We’re moving! The CHGO Fire podcast will slide up one day to Tuesdays, starting Aug. 16. We’ll record our show live on YouTube at 11 a.m. You can join us live, or listen to the show anytime wherever you get your podcasts.

It was a match packed with surprises, conflicts, some sloppiness, and, ultimately for the Fire, a lot of guts and guile. Ezra Hendrickson’s side proved they had the mental toughness to win after going down almost immediately, and did it with both starting centerbacks out for the match. Striker Kacper Przybylko, who was previously ice-cold, scored a beautiful brace. He was back in the starting lineup over Jhon Durán, who Hendrickson said was not benched for his midweek comments on Instagram about wanting to leave the Fire. It was instead a tactical decision, and it paid off.

“I’m very, very happy about the goals,” the Polish striker said after the match. “So, so, close for my first hat trick. Kind of annoyed by it but at the end of the day the most important is the victory for the team.”

It was a massive win for the Fire, but there are still big questions that remain for the final 10 games:

Is Kacper Przybylko’s slump over?

Jhon Durán was solid in his place, but a healthy, successful Przybylko will go a long way to propel the Fire into the playoffs. Early on in the season Przybylko scored a brace against Sporting Kansas City, but then returned to his slump immediately after. This time, he’ll have a chance to prove he can continue his goal scoring form against his old club, the first place Philadelphia Union, next weekend. Can he keep this rolling?

Is Xherdan Shaqiri about to hit a new level?

Don’t look now, but Shaqiri is sitting on 10 assists, which is inching closer to the top of the MLS assist list. Since the Columbus failure the Swiss star has looked fresher, healthier, and a lot closer to the player the Fire thought they were getting. Shaqiri has the quality to be the best No. 10 in the league, it’s just a matter of staying injury-free and being mentally switched on and bought in. Finding his stride now is great for both Shaq, who will go from the MLS season straight into the FIFA World Cup, and his club teammates, who will rely on him to keep breaking lines and unbalancing defenses with his play.

Can the Fire beat the big guns in the East?

We’ll know soon enough. The Fire’s next three come against Philly (No. 1), NYCFC (No. 2), and Djordje Mihailovic’s Montreal (No. 3). It’s a brutal stretch for Chicago, who will need to continue to pick up points to keep pace with their playoff line rivals. The Fire are one of four teams sitting on 30 points, and positions 5-13 are separated by just seven points. The Fire could finish the month anywhere from fourth to thirteenth.

Will the defense hold up down the stretch?

Rafael Czichos was a late scratch with a non-Covid related illness, and with Jonathan Bornstein filling in as a left-sided centerback, Charlotte was able to score in the opening minutes. Luckily, the veteran Bornstein settled in nicely in what was his 200th career MLS appearance, and the Fire pulled off the win. Mauricio Pineda will continue to start at the right-sided spot while Carlos Terán and Wyatt Omsberg get healthy, and, hopefully, Czichos will be healthy enough to go against Philly. Chicago couldn’t get a deal done at the deadline for an additional centerback, so things are razor thin back there.

Perhaps the answer to all of these questions comes down to this: The Fire need to find ways to not beat themselves–they can’t “shoot themselves in the foot,” as Hendrickson put it. If they get outplayed by better teams, so be it. But they can’t succumb to mental errors or a lack of fight. Over these last five games, they’ve shown they can do it. The Fire can play with anyone. Now it’s just a matter of keeping this rolling, and the Fire will be back in the postseason for the first time since 2017.

A source tells CHGO the domestic market was tough, and most teams weren’t willing to part with surplus defenders for what the Fire could pay under the salary cap. The club feels Mauricio Pineda is a good option going forward while Omsberg and Terán get healthy, and with both guys coming back, they felt overpaying for short-term help was a bad idea.

We’re also hearing the Fire are still interested in Danish centerback Tobias Salquist, and could go after him again this winter. For now, they’ll make a playoff push with Pineda alongside Rafael Czichos, with Kendall Burks, Boris Sekulic or even Jonathan Bornstein able to step into that right-sided centerback role if necessary.

Offor traded to Montreal

As MLSsoccer.com’s Tom Bogert first reported, the Fire traded Chinonso Offor to CF Montreal for $325k in General Allocation Money at the deadline. Offor, who is Nigerian, joined the Fire from FK Rigas Futbola Skola in Latvia, and has one of the wildest stories you’ll ever hear in his journey to MLS. He struggled for playing time in Chicago, and never made the impact the Fire had hoped. The move frees up cap space next season, and frees up an international spot.

Heitz Speaks

Sporting Director Georg Heitz spoke to the media on Wednesday, following the announcement that the club sold Gaga Slonina to Chelsea for a club record $15 million. Slonina will return on loan for the remainder of the 2022 MLS season, before heading to West London over the winter. At 18, it’s unlikely he’ll compete for a starting role at Stamford Bridge anytime soon, so he may end up going on loan yet again, and it’s not out of the question that he’d return to the Fire.

“We bought some time now due to the fact that we loaned him back,” Heitz said. “Of course, it is a great idea to also maybe loan him for the 2023 season, but this is to be discussed, also, with Chelsea, of course. We haven’t discussed it so far.”

Heitz was, not surprisingly, asked several questions about the Slonina transfer, but he also weighed in on a number of other topics. He said he likes the job Ezra Hendrickson is doing as head coach, and praised his three designated players–Xherdan Shaqiri, Jairo Torres and Gastón Giménez–after a question regarding their contributions in relation to their salaries.

Heitz wouldn’t bite when we asked him to evaluate his own performance, however.

“I don’t want to assess myself,” he said. “I think that’s not my role here. Other people have to do this, maybe you from the media.”

NYCFC Game Moved to SeatGeek Stadium

The Fire have five home matches left in 2022, and now three of them will be played at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Two were previously announced because of conflicts with the Bears schedule–Sept. 10 vs. Inter Miami, and Oct. 9–the regular season finale–vs. the New England Revolution.

Today, the club announced the Aug. 21 game vs. NYCFC will also move to Bridgeview, because the pitch is expected to be in bad shape after a Bears preseason game and a Bad Bunny concert. It’s not ideal, but it’s also not a terrible move–last season the field was various degrees of poor during the Bears season, with the pitch conditions in a 0-0 draw with Nashville SC absolutely horrible. For those who miss seeing the Fire play in Bridgeview, you’ll now have three chances to see them play there this season.

Ezra’s Arsenal vs. Gaga’s Chelsea

As the Premier League season kicks off this weekend, Ezra Hendrickson is getting ready to cheer on his beloved Arsenal. Hendrickson is a die-hard Gooner, so we asked what he’ll do if Slonina starts for Chelsea in a match against Arsenal.

“I love Gaga but I love Arsenal even more, so it will be Arsenal,” Hendrickson said with zero hesitation, and a smile. “It will be Arsenal.”

Long before we knew the exact details–that Addison’s Gaga Slonina would be signing with Premier League powerhouse Chelsea FC for $10 million plus another $5 million in add ons–we knew he wouldn’t be around for very long.

Less than one year after making his first MLS start for the Chicago Fire, Slonina is now headed to west London. It’s the third largest transfer fee in history for an MLS homegrown player, and by far the largest transfer ever for the Fire.

Chelsea fans, you’re getting a good one.

Sure, Gaga is the best goalkeeping prospect on the planet–his 10 clean sheets in just 23 games this season is remarkable for a player who just turned 18. But, more importantly, he’s humble. Hardworking. Kind. Friendly. Positive. He’s everything you could want in a human, and in talking to him, you immediately forget he’s so young. He’s mature beyond his years.

Slonina is finishing the season here in Chicago (in fact, he’s already back here and is expected to play this weekend in Charlotte), and then he’ll be headed your way. Will he eventually be the No. 1 at Stamford Bridge? We can’t be sure. Playing at the top end of the Premier League for a perennial Champions League contender is a tall order for any goalkeeper. But I will say this: I wouldn’t bet against him.

Gaga won’t arrive in west London thinking he’s already made it. He’ll keep his head down, and will work for your club in whatever capacity he’s asked. If you send him on loan (and, let’s be honest, you’re Chelsea, that’s what you do), he will work his hardest for his loan club, with an eye toward returning to Chelsea as a stronger player.

Take care of Gaga for us. We’ll see him when he returns for international duty with the United States, but in a few short months he’ll spend the majority of his time in your hands. We’ll wake up early to watch his games, but he will be your player.

Sure, Chelsea is familiar with Americans. In Christian Pulisic, you have one of our best. But Gaga’s not just any old American. He’s from Chicago. He’s one of ours. Treat him well, and he’ll work his ass off for you.

You’ll see.

Cheers,

CHGO

The red-hot Chicago Fire welcome Atlanta United to Soldier Field Saturday looking for a fourth-straight win. If things go well elsewhere around the league, the Fire could end the weekend in a playoff spot for the first time since the beginning of the season.

While Chicago’s found recent success, it was a rocky start getting here. In fact, the last time these two teams faced off, it was Atlanta that came away 4-1 winners back on May 7. The Fire have blown a number of games this season, but that Atlanta match was the one time the Fire were never truly in it from the opening whistle.

“We are not the same team that we were then, but it’s a game that we look back on and said listen, if there was game we never was really in it, that was it, and we want to make amends to our fans and ourselves and continue this momentum,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said.

Goals may be tough to come by for Atlanta. The Fire have played 11 games at Soldier Field this season and have only conceded eight goals, securing seven clean sheets. Gaga Slonina is tied for second in MLS in clean sheets in 2022, with nine. Only NYCFC’s Sean Johnson (11) has more.

Gastón Giménez is listed as questionable for the Fire, so the Fire will more than likely roll with Mauricio Pineda in central midfield again. When Pineda plays more than 45 minutes this season, the Fire are averaging 1.53 points-per-game. When Pineda plays 45 or less, the Fire are earning just 0.67 points-per-game. Pineda isn’t flashy, but he’s clearly helping the team.

“Yeah, that’s an interesting stat,” Pineda told CHGO. “I think it’s obviously a great feeling. I think any time I’m on the field, I try to do as much as possible to help the team. It isn’t necessarily all just because of me. Obviously some results go one way or the other whether I’m on the field or not. But yeah, any time I get the chance to be on the field I try to do as much as possible to get, first, three points. That’s the most important.”

Get there Early for the Doubleheader

With Lollapalooza in full swing, the Fire are asking fans to arrive early for the match, to make sure they don’t miss kickoff. Parking lots will open at 1 p.m., and be sure to swing by our CHGO tailgate sponsored by Revolution Brewing, which will be up and running in the Waldron Deck around 2 p.m.

Fire-Atlanta is the first match of a Chicago soccer doubleheader, with the Red Stars and San Diego Wave kicking off at 7 p.m. One ticket gets you in to both matches.

“I think for the city, it’s good to showcase both teams in a similar stage on a similar date on the same night,” Hendrickson said. “I think it bodes well for all involved. They are going to benefit as well as we are. So I’m all for it and I’m looking forward to Saturday night. I think it will be a great atmosphere for the fans.”

How to Watch

Chicago Fire vs. Atlanta United

MLS Match Day #23 | Saturday, July 30 | Soldier Field, Chicago

Kickoff: 4 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Tyler Terens (play-by-play), Tony Meola (color commentator)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Injury Report

Chicago

• OUT: Jhon Espinoza (right knee)
• OUT: Sergio Oregel (international duty)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Stanislav Ivanov (right thigh)
• QUESTIONABLE: Gastón Giménez (right thigh)

Atlanta

• OUT: Ozzie Alonso (ACL)
• OUT: Dylan Castanheira (Achilles)
• OUT: Brad Guzan (Achilles)
• OUT: Miles Robinson (Achilles)
• OUT: Ronald Hernandez (MCL)
• OUT: Brooks Lennon (MCL)
• OUT: Emerson Hyndman (quad)
• QUESTIONABLE: Andrew Gutman (quad)

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, August 6 | Charlotte FC vs. Chicago Fire | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC | 6 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Saturday, August 13 | Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire | Subaru Park, Chester, PA | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Sunday, August 21 | Chicago Fire vs. New York City FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 5:00 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Saturday, August 27 | Chicago Fire vs. CF Montreal | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Wednesday, August 31 | New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Prediction

Our friends at PointsBet have the Fire as favorites, +105 vs. +245 for Atlanta. It will be a party atmosphere on the Lakefront, and the Fire will keep that party going with a 3-0 win.

“We sat down, we talked,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson explained. “And it was an open forum, you know, what can we do as a team to change this bad luck, so to speak, that we were having. How are we losing games that we should tie, and tying games that we should win. How can we change that? More so, it was just bonding together and saying, you know what, it stops. There’s no way we can be at home and let up in that last 27 or 30 minutes like that. That’s never going to happen again.”

It’s common for the Fire to reflect after matches, but this time things were different. The Fire had blown leads and dropped points in many other games this season, and had created chances without actually scoring goals. But the Crew loss was the final straw. It was that bad.

“Too many games, we let go by the wayside,” Hendrickson said. “Too many times we created so many chances, even on the road, to go up on teams two-or three-nothing and just miss chances and that was killing us. So I think from that meeting and the confidence that it’s possible for us to come back and save the season, so to speak. I think both of those situations helped us.”

Since hitting rock bottom, the Fire are winners of three straight, and have a chance to jump above the playoff line for the first time in months with a win Saturday over Atlanta United. Midfielder Mauricio Pineda, who’s been a massive part of the Fire’s nine-point winning streak, said that meeting after the Crew loss was a turning point.

“After that game, we agreed that we have to self-reflect more than anything and see if we are really doing everything possible for the team to come out on top after every game and doing that in every training session, every game obviously and everything that you’re doing to prepare for training every day,” Pineda said. “So I think that’s something that was really important that needed to be said, and needed it to be talked about. And luckily it’s something that worked. Some of those things don’t always work if you don’t take it seriously and put into action in training and games but, like I said, I think the team took that really well and has shown more positive moments since that game.”

Ezra in the Mirror

After a career spanning more than two decades as a player and assistant coach, Hendrickson is 22 games into his first season as a head coach in Major League Soccer. He comes across as intelligent and commanding, and he brings so much experience to the role, it’s easy to forget he’s actually a rookie.

This season has gone anything but smoothly, and Hendrickson puts a lot of blame on himself for the mishaps this season. But, he’s not settling. It’s evident Hendrickson is constantly thinking about what he can do better, and what more he can do to grow into the head coaching role.

When we asked Hendrickson to reflect on what he’s learned in his first 22 matches at his weekly media availability, he took a breath, said “wow,” then spoke for the better part of the next five minutes about what he wishes he could have done differently, mistakes he’s made, and areas where he’s grown. Here’s what he said, it its entirety. It’s worth your time to read his entire answer:

“I’ve had many learning experiences. You know, be it the Open Cup game, I think maybe, not so much player selection because we played who we had. But maybe in-game substitution in that game probably came a little later than I should have made them so that’s something that I look back at and I think about. But at the time I was worried about if it went into over time, exerting too much energy on the guys that we have because we didn’t really have a full squad at the time so I was worried about putting guys in too soon just in case it went into overtime. So that’s probably, if I look back at that, that was a big learning experience for me where if I had to do that over again, I’ll just play the guys, and if they end up having to play 120 minutes, then so be it. So that’s one thing I learned.

“Other things, there’s some games that we let slip away from us, and I take responsibility for that. Whenever we don’t close games out. I talk about the New York Red Bull games away, the Toronto game away, when we don’t finish out games like those, I look at myself and I said, okay, what could I have done differently. Again, maybe a substitution sooner might have changed those games.

“At the end of the day, you know, I put the players out on the pitch and if the players make mistakes that cost us the game, that reflects on me: Did I have the right player in the right position; did I put them in the right position to succeed?

“So I take blame for some of those things. So I learn from those things. I promise to make sure that things are done better; that we won’t go through those things again. We’ve improved somewhat but we’re a team that’s growing and when I took this job, one of the things I said was there will be growing pains. I, as a first-year coach, have gone through some of those growing pains with the team as a whole as far as some of my decision-making.

“But you know, we’re still learning. We’re continuing to grow as a team. I think we’ve grown. We’ve progressed a lot further along than most probably expected.

“But when I look at what transpired in the Columbus game and how the team was able to respond since, you know, that to me shows a lot growth in the team because it was very easy for that team, after that game, losing that game in that manner, at home, to just pack it in and say, you know what, we’ve tried everything, we’ve been leading teams with a minute to go and tied games, we’ve out-shot, out-possessed other teams the entire game and lose games. So it was really easy for the team to say, you know what, it’s just not working. But these guys responded from that game and came out in that Toronto game and just really jumped on them from the start and got a goal in the first five minutes. For me that shows the growth of a team, and we’ve since continued to grow and continued with that momentum.

“We are not there yet, even in the last game, Vancouver, we had moments, the last two minutes of the first half, we are not going to survive too many of those type of errors that we created; that we caused by ourselves towards the end of that first half.

“But we came in at halftime, we talked about it and even when they tied it up, we knew that this was our game and we were in control of the game and we weren’t going to lose it, even though we were on the road, and finished out that game. That shows me a lot; that the players have really bought into what it is that we’re doing. We’re on a good streak right now and we just want to continue that. We’ve always said that Soldier Field would be our fortress. And Atlanta is a team that, of all the games when we look back as a team and the players are well aware of it, it’s the one game that we thought got away from us at the start.

“Yes, they caught us a little shorthanded, and we didn’t have four or five starters at the time, due to suspensions or injuries, or what-have-you and we are not the same team that we were then but it’s a game that we look back on and said listen, if there was game we never was really in it, that was it, and we want to make amends to our fans and ourselves and continue this momentum.

“So Saturday we are really going to be prepared for this game for several reasons, but mainly just to continue to grow as a team.”

It’s clear in his first season on the job, Ezra Hendrickson’s harshest critic is himself.

Immediately after that, they fell flat on their faces in the second half against the Columbus Crew, giving up three goals, and I declared them dead. If they couldn’t hold a 2-0 halftime lead at home, I figured, there’s no way they’d have any chance of making up a nine point gap, with a glut of teams between them and the playoff line.

Three straight wins later, and I’m more than happy to be wrong. A win this Saturday against Atlanta United, and the Fire will have those 12 points. Depending on results from a few other games, the Fire might actually be above the playoff line for the first time since the spring. But with 12 games to go, can they actually make the MLS playoffs for the first time since 2017? Here are a few reasons why they might, and why they might not:

Why they might: Chris Mueller and Rafael Czichos

These two have been, hands down, the Fire’s best players this season. The Köln Cowboy and Woodfield Mall Messi have done what the team’s three designated players could not–grab their teammates by the scruff of the neck, pull them out of the inconsistent stupidity, and steer them toward something resembling a winner. It’s been refreshing to watch both play with toughness, confidence, and joy.

Why they might: Shaq’s finally delivering

Xherdan Shaqiri had talked a big game at the beginning of the season, but hadn’t delivered close to the minimum standards for a guy making $8.15 million this season. At that kind of money, Shaqiri should be competing for an MLS MVP award, and should not be outshined by his teammates making far, far less.

In fairness, the Swiss star has been plagued by a hamstring injury, but it looks like things are starting to turn a corner. He was brilliant in the 3-1 win over Vancouver on Saturday, and has said recently he’s starting to feel more like himself. If Shaqiri can make a strong push to end the season, it will not only help him going into the World Cup this November, it will help the Fire make a run, too.

Why they might: Mauricio Pineda

The Fire’s three-game winning streak has come with Mauricio Pineda playing in central midfield in the No. 8 role. Designated Player and lightning rod for Fire fans, Gastón Giménez, has missed most of the last three matches (he came out of the Seattle match with a hamstring injury), and Pineda has more than filled his shoes during that run. This is a perfect example of Fire fans’ frustrations with the Argentinian–if a Homegrown player can step in and the team improves in his absence, why can’t the Fire use that big money DP salary elsewhere?

Pineda has been on the field for the Fire’s two best stretches of the season–the first few games (filling in for Federico Navarro) and the last three (in place of Giménez). When Pineda plays, good things happen. Look at it this way: When Pineda plays more than 45 minutes, the Fire have five wins and five draws, with only three losses.

He’s played more than 45 minutes in five of the Fire’s seven wins this season, and in all five draws. Yet, he’s only played more than 45 minutes in three of Chicago’s 10 losses.

Why they might not: Toronto FC (and a few other teams)

Bob Bradley’s bunch has majorly retooled. Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi, and a time traveling early 2010s version of Michael Bradley had Toronto FC looking like the best team in the league in a 4-0 win over Charlotte over the weekend. You had to figure it was only a matter of time before the elder Bradley got things going north of the border. The Reds are four points back of the Fire, but they seemed poised to make a run.

Toronto isn’t the only team the Fire will need to fend off. The Crew have been solid since signing Cucho Hernandez. You have to figure Bruce Arena might have something up his sleeve with New England, and Wayne Rooney is sure to spark something with D.C. United, although it might be too late there.

Bottom line, there are a lot of teams in a similar spot to the Fire. Every point matters.

Why they might not: They’re the Fire

It’s a different group of players, with a different owner, a different coaching staff, and a different sporting director. There’s no good reason why this club’s culture of losing should continue. It makes no logical sense.

Yet, for some reason, it persists. Ezra Hendrickson has tried to combat this head on, saying a number of times they won’t be known as a club that blows leads and finds ways to lose. But, until they prove that to themselves, they will be. The last three matches are a small sample size, but maybe things are starting to change.

A win over Atlanta on Saturday would be another huge step toward lifting that cloud off of this club.

Come Tailgate with Us!

The Fire-Atlanta United match is the first part of doubleheader at Soldier Field, with two of the NWSL’s top teams–the Chicago Red Stars and the San Diego Wave facing off in the second match. One ticket gets you into both, so we figured this would be a fun time to celebrate soccer in Chicago. A bunch of us from CHGO will be hanging out on top of the Waldron Deck starting at 2 p.m., so swing by and have a Hazy Pitch with us! The fine folks at Revolution Brewing are sponsoring our event, so you know it’ll be fun.

Two years ago, the Chicago Fire were set to play the Vancouver Whitecaps in the third group stage game of the MLS is Back Covid-bubble tournament in Orlando. The Fire had recently won a massive game over the Seattle Sounders, and with a win or a draw, they were set to move on to the knockout stage. After a weather delay in the second half, the Fire came out as flat footed as can be, the Whitecaps scored twice, and Chicago was out. Fans were angry, and all the hope and goodwill they’d built in that weird Covid season was gone.

The 2022 edition of the Fire visits Vancouver Saturday night (9 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live) looking for a third straight victory, which would catapult them even closer to the seventh and final playoff spot. Right now they’re in 12th, still only two spots off the bottom, but just four points off of seventh. It’s tight, and every point matters.

“We are going into this game with a bit of momentum after our last two games, one being against a Cascadia team,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said this week. “So you know, we are just going to go there, and we know we have to pick up points on the road and we are going to go there and try to get the three points.

“As far as what has happened in the past with the club, we can’t really think about that. We don’t even think about what happened a couple Saturdays ago against Columbus. Right now we are just looking forward and what we can do, and hopefully ride the wave of this momentum through the end of the season.”

Chicago has won four of its last seven in league play, good enough for second-best in all of MLS, and tied for best in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia Union. Things are starting to look better (the second half against the Columbus Crew aside), but the 10-game, three-month long winless streak from March to June means the Fire can’t afford to drop any points, even on the road, if they want to truly make a playoff push. Vancouver has been struggling, winning just two of their last seven games. It’s winnable, but so were the recent road matches against Houston and San Jose, and the Fire lost both.

Who’s in and who’s out?

Jairo Torres is questionable for this one–not with the usual lingering hip issue, but because he’s going through Covid health and safety protocols. Gastón Giménez is out, meaning we’ll likely get another look at Mauricio Pineda in midfield. Right back Jhon Espinoza will also miss the match with a knee issue, and Wyatt Omsberg is still a long way off from his return.

Milestone coming for Jonny B.

With back to back 90-minute performances, Jonathan Bornstein is sitting on 198 MLS appearances, just two shy of 200 for his career. Bornstein started with Chivas USA 16 years ago, then spent nearly a decade away from the league, before returning to play for the Fire in 2019. Since joining Chicago, Bornstein’s made 75 appearances, including 57 starts.

Bonus “Zee Pod Derby”

With Vancouver’s recent trade for Julian Gressel, we’ll get a bonus version of “Zee Pod Derby” this season. Gressel hosts “Zee Soccer Podcast” with the Fire’ s Fabian Herbers. The two have already played each other twice this season, with Herbers coming out on top over Gressel’s D.C. United teams. Gressel was traded by D.C. shortly after Wayne Rooney arrived as the club’s new manager.

Two Fire games moving to SeatGeek Stadium

We’ve previously reported this was likely, but it’s official now: The Fire’s Sept. 10 game with Inter Miami and the Oct. 9 regular season finale against the New England Revolution are both moving to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, because of conflicts with the Chicago Bears schedule.

Because of the Bears’ lease agreement with Soldier Field, the Fire are unable to play games at the venue within five days of a Bears’ home game. The Bears are scheduled to play regular season games at Soldier Field on Sunday, Sept. 11 and Thursday, Oct. 13.

The Fire are also moving the Aug. 28 game against Djordje Mihailovic’s CF Montreal one day earlier, to Saturday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. That Saturday night kickoff should mean higher ticket sales for the Fire.

Come Tailgate with Us!

Chicago is back home July 30, playing host to Atlanta United at 4 p.m., in the first match of a Soldier Field doubleheader–the Chicago Red Stars host the San Diego Wave in the second match.

At CHGO, we love a party. So we’re taking this doubleheader as a great excuse to have one. Come hang out with us on top of the Waldron Deck starting at 2 p.m. or so. Let’s have some fun, and hope that both teams can pull off a win that day.

How to Watch

Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Chicago Fire

MLS Match Day #22 | Saturday, July 23 | BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Kickoff: 9 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Arlo White (play-by-play), Tony Meola (color commentator), Tyler Terens (broadcasting from the bar at AJ Hudson’s during the match. He will also serve as a guest bartender, which seems perfect.)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, July 30 | Chicago Fire vs. Atlanta United | Soldier Field, Chicago | 4 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live – Doubleheader: Chicago Red Stars vs. San Diego Wave to follow

Saturday, August 6 | Charlotte FC vs. Chicago Fire | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC | 6 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Saturday, August 13 | Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire | Subaru Park, Chester, PA | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Sunday, August 21 | Chicago Fire vs. New York City FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 5:00 PM WGN, CF97 Live

Prediction

Our friends at PointsBet have Vancouver as slight favorites, +130 vs. +200 for the Fire. To be fair, this one doesn’t feel like a Fire victory, at least based on those recent away losses in Houston and San Jose.

The Fire won’t win, but they won’t lose, either. We say this one ends in a 1-1 draw.

“It’s a Ford F-150 black ops,” the German Czichos tells CHGO. “I just got it like two weeks ago. It’s a once in a lifetime thing, I think.”

Some Chicago Fire staffers have laughed at what seems like a peculiar choice of vehicle for a European footballer, but when you get to know Czichos, it starts to make sense. The centerback comes across as very serious–almost intimidating–in interviews, especially at first. Make no mistake, he takes soccer seriously, and he wants to win at everything. But off the field, he is, as one Fire staffer put it, “kind of a goof.” 

“My neighbors, they say now you need to get a cowboy hat and some horns on the front,” he says.

Czichos, 32, even has a word for his deep dive into American culture.

“I call it integration,” he says with a smile. “I do my best. I really like it. The whole culture here, we love it.”

Life in Chicago

Czichos joined the Fire in January on a three-year deal from FC Köln, where he made 103 appearances in both the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga over the last four years. He was an undisputed starter, which made his move to MLS surprising for many. At first, Czichos came to Chicago alone, leaving his wife and four year old son behind at their home in Germany.

“It was stressful the first two months, three months,” Czichos says. “At first I was alone here, in a new city, new country.”

His family has since joined him, which was a big relief for the defender. After a long search they finally found a house in the suburbs, and they’re settling in nicely. Czichos is even making sure his son, who turns five next month, gets a taste of American culture. In addition to tennis and soccer (of course), he’s also playing tee ball.

“We feel really comfortable here, and we’re so happy to be here,” he says. “It is very different (than Germany), but we’ve been enjoying it a lot.”

On the pitch, Czichos has brought stability and calm to a back line that sorely needed it. As captain, he also brings a focused intensity before the matches. His pre-game speeches are fiery.

“We kicked their asses once, and we’re gonna fucking do it again. Let’s go win our home game!” he shouted in a huddle before a recent win over D.C. United. With Czichos, these speeches aren’t just empty words, and they’re enough to make anyone want to run through a wall for the captain.

The team is flying high after two straight wins, including a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders at Soldier Field on Saturday, in which Czichos scored the team’s only goal–his second in the last three games. As a centerback, he really only creeps into the opposing team’s 18-yard-box on or immediately after a set piece, and on Saturday, he was able to deliver.

“I think it was a corner or something, that’s why I was in the offense because normally I stay a little bit deeper,” Czichos explains. “I stayed there and then I saw Fede (Navarro), that he has a lot of space and I’m really happy that he saw me. Nice cross and, yeah, the rest is history.” 

To this point, Czichos has been the Fire’s best signing of the season, and perhaps one of the best in recent memory for Chicago. But, the season hasn’t gone as planned, to be sure. The Fire have crept back into the playoff picture, and are now just three points out of seventh place, but after a splashy offseason that included the signing of Swiss superstar Xherdan Shaqiri, the Fire had bigger expectations than just scrapping and clawing their way into the postseason. Czichos has anchored a defense with a league leading nine clean sheets, but the back line has been prone to losing leads–as they did against the Columbus Crew a week ago. Up 2-0 at halftime, the Fire ended up losing 3-2.

“So after the Columbus game, it was really tough,” he says. “The two days after were really hard. We were so disappointed. But my son helps me to focus on other things next to the pitch. He’s a big soccer fan, he’s so excited to go to the games. I like when he’s in the stadium and he sees us winning, and believe me, he’s way happier when we win than when we lose.”

The Fire’s social media team caught the two playing on the pitch after a win over D.C. United back in June. In the video, the dad blocks his son’s first two attempts, before letting a pretty right-footed finish into the back of the net. 

For Czichos, this is calculated. Sure, he wants his son to follow in his footsteps as a pro footballer, just not as a defender.

“We are practicing every day. I hope he’ll be a good player. I tell him every day please be a striker! It’s so much more fun, and you get more money. It’s like, you can be a big star, but as a defender it’s more difficult.

“Actually, I hate my job!” he continues, with a wry smile on his face. “As a defender, not as a soccer player. I would love to be a striker!”–to be fair, with two goals in three games, he’s starting to look a bit like a forward.

Czichos stays in touch with his old teammates at FC Köln, and keeps an eye on Werder Bremen, which was his favorite team growing up as a kid. But for now he’s focused on helping the Fire become a winner on the pitch, and becoming an All-American dad off of it.

“I think he’s as happy as he’s ever been before,” Czichos says of his little boy. “I asked him like two days ago ‘Do you want to go back to Germany?’ And he said ‘No, no, never, let’s stay here.’ So I think that’s the best sign.”

It’s a good sign for Fire fans, too.

Last Saturday night, the Fire blew a 2-0 halftime lead to the Columbus Crew. They were dead last in MLS, and any notion they’d have any chance at a playoff run seemed insane, to say the least. Four days later they beat fellow bottom feeder Toronto FC in a solid performance. Now, Chicago sits just six points out of the seventh and final playoff spot.

FiveThirtyEight gives the Fire a 12 percent chance to make the postseason, which to be fair is still pretty low, but it’s just high enough to believe there might be a chance (cue the Jim Carrey/Dumb and Dumber line).

Enter the Seattle Sounders. Major League Soccer’s most successful and best run team followed up a Concacaf Champions League title in the spring with a fairly lackluster first half to the league season. They’re eighth in the standings, one point back of the LA Galaxy for a playoff spot. Despite the poor start, the Sounders are poised to make a second half run. They always do.

PointsBet actually has the Fire as favorites against the continental champs Saturday night at Soldier Field (+120 for the Fire, +225 for Seattle). But, for the Fire to actually pull off a victory, they’ll need something that’s been lacking this season, something head coach Ezra Hendrickson harps on every match: consistency. The victory over Toronto was important, but the Sounders are on another level.

“We’re very confident coming off the game on Wednesday, but we know it doesn’t matter what the table says, we know that they’re one of the best teams in the league,” Hendrickson told CHGO. “We’re not gonna take them lightly. Our task is to get full points, and keep moving up the table.”

Depending on other results, a win Saturday could also see the Fire creep up the table a bit closer to that final playoff spot.

“Consistency is the big word for us,” Fire captain Rafael Czichos told CHGO. “The biggest problem this year. Everybody can see that we have a team of high quality, and we we play very well most parts of the game, but then we destroy our own game with stupid mistakes. I hope that the game on Wednesday was a turnaround for us. We prepared very well for the next game. We want to win, and we want to keep the three points here in Chicago. And I think then it doesn’t look that bad in the table.”

Hungry Like the Wolf

Jhon Durán followed up his two-goal performance against the Crew by picking up MLS Player of the Week honors, the youngest Fire player to ever win the award (18 years 212 days), and the second-youngest player in club history with a brace, next to DaMarcus Beasley (18 years, 98 days) who did it back in August 2000. Durán was fouled left and right by the Crew. He picked up what Hendrickson called a “slight ankle injury” in the game, and he’s listed as questionable for Saturday. Still, he’s probably a good bet to play Saturday against Seattle.

Come Tailgate with Us!

The Fire travel to Vancouver next weekend to face the Whitecaps, who just picked up Fire midfielder Fabian Herbers’ podcast partner Julian Gressel in a surprise trade with D.C. United. Chicago is back home July 30, playing host to Atlanta United at 4 p.m., in the first match of a Soldier Field doubleheader–the Chicago Red Stars host the San Diego Wave in the second match.

At CHGO, we love a party. So we’re taking this doubleheader as a great excuse to have one. Come hang out with us on top of the Waldron Deck starting at 2 p.m. or so. Let’s have some fun, and hope that both teams can pull off a win that day.

How to Watch

Chicago Fire vs. Seattle Sounders

MLS Match Day #21 | Saturday, July 16 | Soldier Field, Chicago

Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Arlo White (play-by-play), Tony Meola (color commentator), Tyler Terens (inquisitive, insightful sideline reporter and bourbon enthusiast)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Fire Availability Report

• OUT: Alex Monis (health & safety protocols)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Javier Casas, Jr. (health & safety protocols)
• QUESTIONABLE: Jhon Durán (left ankle)

Sounders Availability Report

• TBA

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, July 23 | Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Chicago Fire | BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 30 | Chicago Fire vs. Atlanta United | Soldier Field, Chicago | 4 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live – Doubleheader: Chicago Red Stars vs. San Diego Wave to follow

Saturday, August 6 | Charlotte FC vs. Chicago Fire | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC | 6 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Saturday, August 13 | Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire | Subaru Park, Chester, PA | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN, CF97 Live

Sunday, August 21 | Chicago Fire vs. New York City FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 5:00 PM WGN, CF97 Live

Prediction

Our friends at PointsBet may have the Fire as favorites, but the team hasn’t won two in a row since March. It’s hard to justify picking Chicago to win this, but we will. We say this one ends 3-1 Fire.

Back in May in Ontario, the Fire outshot TFC 33-5, and managed to lose 3-2. And last time they met at Soldier Field last summer, the Fire outshot Toronto 31-4, and lost 2-1.

Both games left fans wondering wondering how it’s possible this team can wrestle a loss from the jaws of victory so often. It’s an issue that came up again last Saturday, when the Fire blew a 2-0 lead, losing 3-2 to the Columbus Crew. The Fire are clearly a bad team–the worst in MLS through 19 games. But, really? Seriously? This feels like we’re being clowned, over and over.

No Giménez tonight

He was, until recently, the most polarizing player on the Fire, but Gastón Giménez has actually been one of the team’s better players in 2022. Giménez is out tonight with a suspension for yellow card accumulation, so it will be interesting to see if his absence is noticeable for Chicago. Mauricio Pineda feels like the most likely guy to fill in, but he’s missed a lot of minutes recently, so he may not be match fit.

And, after last Saturday’s late red card, Miguel Navarro will miss tonight’s match, too.

Sockers v. Sockers battle

Two of the best soccer players to ever come out of the Chicago area face off tonight–the Fire’s Chris Mueller, and Toronto FC’s Michael Bradley. Both players spent their formative years at local powerhouse Sockers FC. For Mueller, who is from Schaumburg, it was an easy choice to play for his local club. Bradley joined Sockers when his dad, Bob Bradley, was busy winning trophies as head coach of the Fire.

Tiny Crowd tonight? We shall see.

The last match against the Crew saw an announced attendance of just over 15,000, and that was for a Saturday night match, with beautiful weather, a rival opponent, and post-game fireworks. What will we see tonight for a mid-week matchup against another bottom dweller? It’s not looking good. The subject of “should the Fire have left SeatGeek Stadium?” seems to be coming up a lot more often among fans. If the team is ever successful, the crowds will be large enough to justify the move back to Soldier Field. For now, it’s just a lot of empty seats.

How to Watch

Chicago Fire vs. Toronto FC

MLS Match Day #20 | Wednesday, July 13 | Soldier Field, Chicago

Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Talent: Arlo White (play-by-play), Tony Meola (color commentary), Tyler Terens (hardworking, gritty, handsome sideline reporter)

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Fire Availability Report

• OUT: Gastón Giménez (yellow card accumulation)
• OUT: Miguel Navarro (red card suspension)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Javier Casas, Jr. (health & safety protocols)
• QUESTIONABLE: None

Toronto FC Availability Report

• OUT: Lorenzo Insigne (lower body)
• OUT: Noble Okello (lower body)

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, July 16 | Chicago Fire vs. Seattle Sounders | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 23 | Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Chicago Fire | BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 30 | Chicago Fire vs. Atlanta United | Soldier Field, Chicago | 4 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live – Doubleheader: Chicago Red Stars vs. San Diego Wave to follow

Saturday, August 6 | Charlotte FC vs. Chicago Fire | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC | 6 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, August 13 | Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire | Subaru Park, Chester, PA | 6:30 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Prediction

Our friends at PointsBet have the Fire as heavy favorites tonight, -160 for Chicago vs. +400 for Toronto. Last time these teams met, the Fire lobbed more than 30 shots at Toronto, and still came away on the losing end. But, this one’s at Soldier Field. If ever there was a game the Fire should win, this feels like it. But would you feel comfortable betting on the Fire after the Columbus match?

We say this one ends 1-1.

With the loss, the Fire are back in a familiar spot: last place in all of MLS. While they’re still just nine points out of the seventh and final playoff spot, the Fire proved in the second half Saturday they’re realistically nowhere remotely close to being a playoff team.

After a brilliant first half for the Fire that saw goals from Chris Mueller and Rafael Czichos, Crew head coach Caleb Porter made big changes at halftime, switching from a back three to a back four, bringing on wingers Derrick Etienne and Luis Diaz. Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson and his players had no answer for Porter’s moves, and watched the Crew dominate the half, torching Fire fullbacks Miguel Navarro and Jhon Espinoza at will, on the way to a massive comeback victory. Etienne finished with two goals, Diaz had two assists, and new signing Cucho Hernandez capped off the second half with the winner.

“We didn’t protect our lead and we didn’t protect the game, and we end up losing it,” Hendrickson, who spent the last few years as a Crew assistant before coming to the Fire, said. “When that happens like that, I guess, I have to take the blame because I know I can’t call the timeout and change things around, but I told them to expect these guys to come on in the second half because I knew they were on the bench, I know these players, I was with these guys for two and a half years so I knew it was coming. We just didn’t deal with it properly, as we should have. Because they change the game.”

What’s more, the Fire’s highest paid player in history, Xherdan Shaqiri, was subbed off in the 80th minute, when the game was tied at 2-2. After the match, Ezra Hendrickson made it a point to say his star player made the call to come out of the game.

“Well, Shaq is carrying a slight injury to his thigh,” Hendrickson said. “He asked to be taken out because it started to hurt, it was starting to hurt. So that was him asking to be taken out.”

Shaqiri has missed time this season for a laundry list of ailments and injuries, many of which have been described by Hendrickson as “slight” or “minor.” It seems the Swiss Designated Player cares more about not getting hurt before the 2022 World Cup than he does helping this Fire team win. The question is who’s letting him get away with this? Is it Ezra giving in to his star player? Is it Shaqiri’s countryman, Fire sporting director Georg Heitz? Or, if we’re giving Shaqiri the benefit of the doubt, and he really is a terrible injury waiting to happen, perhaps the Fire never should have signed him in the first place.

Adding insult to injury, Fire left back Miguel Navarro, after getting torched down this side for much of the second half, put in a dangerous challenge late in the match. It was initially deemed a second yellow, but was rightfully changed to a straight red after a VAR review. The Fire have shown a disastrous lack of discipline with fouls all season, with Navarro’s red marking a league-leading fifth for the team in just 19 games.

One of the game’s bright spots was Chris Mueller, who, with a goal and an assist, continues to be one of the Fire’s best players since signing with the club earlier this season–and his classy performance extended beyond the game. Fire staff made media members wait outside the locker room for an unusually long time after the loss, and when we were finally allowed inside, Mueller was one of the few players who hadn’t already bailed. He was ready and willing to answer tough questions.

Not captain Czichos, who several media members specifically requested. Not Shaqiri, either.

“Today we just lacked fight,” Mueller told reporters. “It wasn’t a lack of quality. I don’t lack belief in this group at all. Now it’s just about us coming together as a team when times are hard and trying to pick each other up and move on.”

Is losing games because of a lack of fight worse than losing because of a lack of talent?

“Damn near, because you can control your fight,” Mueller, who was clearly frustrated, said. “It definitely sucks to be losing games in areas you can control and the goals we let up have often been soft and it’s costing us crucial points.”

While Mueller, Jairo Torres and Jhon Durán all answered questions, Heitz repeatedly poked his head around the corner of a wall near the team’s catering spread, munching on a bread roll, peering out to see when the media would be gone. At one point, owner Joe Mansueto walked through the somber locker room, patted Gaga Slonina on the back, and disappeared around a corner.

Navarro showed again the Fire lack discipline. Mueller said the group lacked fight. But, with the same issues plaguing the team over and over, it’s clear this club lacks something bigger: accountability.

Something must change. Heitz’s run as Fire sporting director has been littered with so many terrible losses it’s hard to remember them all. It’s been disappointing by any measure. For this one to stand out as exceptionally bad shows something. While there have been occasional bright spots, there has been zero measurable progress–at least from a wins and losses perspective–in Heitz’s three years on the job. None. During that same time, three expansion teams–Austin, Nashville and Charlotte–have all entered the league, and are all now sitting in playoff spots.

It’s time for a fresh approach in the front office. Give him the rest of the summer window, or even the rest of this season. At this point, though, it likely won’t matter. Heitz has failed, and he should be fired.

Fire fans deserve better than this.

This team is great on paper, but continues to struggle on the field. How much of this is on Ezra Hendrickson?

Sometimes, it’s more direct:

This team is a disaster. Should the Fire dump Ezra Hendrickson?

Through 18 games, slightly over half of the 34 game regular season, the Fire are back in last place in the Eastern Conference. Under first-year head coach Hendrickson, the Fire sit with just four wins, five draws, and nine losses, and are eight points back of the final playoff spot.

For a team that made such a splash during the off season, signing Xherdan Shaqiri to a league record $8.15 million a year deal, bringing in young Mexican star Jairo Torres, proven MLS scorer Kacper Przybylko, and veteran Bundesliga centerback Rafael Czichos, the Fire have been poor, at least going forward. Czichos, for his part, has been really solid, as has the Fire’s defense most of the time.

But the attack? It’s been a disaster. Przybylko, who had the third most goals in MLS since 2019, can’t score. Jairo Torres has barely played in his two-plus months here. And Xherdan Shaqiri has shown flashes of what we expected, but it’s added up to one non-penalty goal (with two others coming off penalties) and six assists (not bad), in 1152 minutes spread across 14 games.

This isn’t working. Again.

Ezra’s not a dumb guy. He knows what’s you’re thinking. The problem is, he’s preaching something Fire fans are, rightfully, beyond tired of hearing–patience.

“We just have to keep calm, we just have to keep confident and continue to believe in what it is that we’re doing,” he said this week. “It’s something that we know that wasn’t going to happen overnight but as long as we’re seeing progress we have to continue to remain confident in that.”

I have, to this point, laughed off questions about whether Ezra should be fired. I still think he deserves more time. But, this team is a playoff contender on paper, and for that reason, at least some of the blame should fall on Hendrickson’s shoulders. But, I don’t think it’s time to consider firing him, yet.

Saturday will mark his first matchup as head coach against his old team–the Columbus Crew–where he was an assistant under Caleb Porter the last few seasons before coming to Chicago. It’s the first of three straight games at home, and four out of five at Soldier Field. The Fire will need to rotate to make it through this stretch, so it’s a great time to drop the ice-cold Przybylko in favor of Jhon Durán, to see what he can do. Hendrickson also must find a way to get Brian Gutierrez more minutes, which might mean playing him out wide. He’s been one of the brightest spots on the team this season, and he deserves to be more than just Shaqiri’s backup at the 10.

I said on the CHGO Fire Podcast this week that the Fire need to take 12 out of the next 15 points to truly get back into the playoff race. That means nine points in the next three games. It’s now, or never.

“These three games, we need nine points and we are going to go out and get all nine points,” Hendrickson said. “But the first and most important is this first one against Columbus.”

The Fire host Columbus at Soldier Field at 7 p.m. on Saturday. There are fireworks planned after the match. Hopefully, Ezra and Co. have some in store for the game, too.

With that in mind, here are some thoughts on the current state of the Chicago Fire. As famed Italian manager Arrigo Sacchi once said, “Football is the most important of the least important things in life.” I’m always reminded of that quote on days like these.

Another Shaqiri injury

In his short time with the Fire, Xherdan Shaqiri’s had a calf injury, then a hamstring, then an illness, and now a hip. He’s missed four full games, and minutes in several others. In the 2-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes, the Fire’s highest paid and most famous player came out around the 60th minute.

After the match, Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson gave a version of the standard Shaq injury quote:

“He’s fine. He just had a little hip injury but I don’t think anything major. Still has to be seen, but I don’t think anything major. We just wanted to make sure that it didn’t get worse, whatever it is, that was bothering his hip.”

Why does this keep happening? Is there any other player on the Fire who comes out of games with the slightest bit of discomfort? I’m sure these decisions are well thought out, and obviously Ezra and the club’s medical staff know a lot more than I do about the situation. But from the outside, it’s frustrating to watch. It definitely feels like the club’s using kid gloves in an effort to prevent any major injuries from cropping up before the World Cup in Qatar this November.

If Shaqiri is as important to the Fire as he says he is, he needs to find a way to stay on the pitch for his club team.

Guti and Durán

The good news for the Fire is that Brian Gutierrez is more than capable of filling in for Shaqiri at the No. 10. Against San Jose, Gutierrez again proved he deserves to be starting, if not in central midfield then out wide. His first career goal came too late in the match to change the outcome, but it was pretty nonetheless. Hendrickson should find a way to get Gutierrez in the starting XI against Columbus on Saturday.

The same goes for Jhon Durán, who had a nice assist on Gutierrez’s late goal. Durán is still very raw, but he’s surely a better bet to score than Kacper Przybylko at this point. We saw this last year with Robert Berić–yanking an ice cold striker from the XI can further ruin his confidence, but it doesn’t matter at this point. Either run Durán out at the No. 9, or find a new shape that better plays to the personnel. In this current setup, Przybylko flat out can’t score.

“What was missing is just our finishing,” Hendrickson said after the San Jose loss. “We created good chances, especially in the first half to put the game out of reach, and we did not.”

Ezra sees it. It’s just a matter of making the change.

What’s going on here?

I was reasonably sure the Fire could at least get a draw in Houston. Nope. I thought there was no way they’d beat the Philadelphia Union. The Fire won. Then I thought, surely, they’d be able to at least get a point on the road in San Jose. Nope. Luckily, I have a few days to come up with a prediction for the Crew match, but it might be smart money to bet against me at this point.

That VAR decision

When Rafael Czichos went down in the box, my first thought was it was a Bundesliga veteran taking a dive, trying to get something going for his team. But after the VAR review, it seemed fairly obvious to everyone–except referee Victor Rivas, apparently–that it was a penalty. Alas, it wasn’t.

Yes, it felt like the Fire got burned again by an unfair refereeing decision. But if the Fire actually finish two or three of those high xG chances in the first half, the bad call wouldn’t have mattered. And immediately after the penalty wasn’t given, the Fire switched off, and San Jose scored quickly.

Good teams might get more calls than the Fire, but good teams finish their chances, and good teams don’t switch off mentally when things don’t go their way. Do things the right way, and you don’t leave matches to chance. Good teams make their own luck.

The Fire play three in a row, and four of their next five at Soldier Field. It’s now or never.

The Fire have taken six of nine possible points since returning from the international break, and have ever-so-slightly started creeping up the table. They now sit 13th in the East–up one spot from dead last–and are just seven points out of the final playoff spot.

If the Fire team with the buttoned-up defense and the solid attack led by Xherdan Shaqiri shows up tonight, Chicago will have a good chance at taking three points against the woeful Earthquakes. But, as we saw in Houston, the quality of the opponent doesn’t always matter. The Fire’s toughest opponent is, more often than not, the Fire.

This is the first matchup in MLS league play for these two teams since 2019, a game where Chris Wondolowski scored all four goals in a 4-0 San Jose victory. The Fire also lost to San Jose 2-0 in 2020’s MLS is Back tournament.

San Jose hasn’t won in their last five outings. Their last victory came on May 18, a 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers.

Arlo’s In

Last summer, when famed announcer Arlo White arrived in Chicago to call Fire matches, he was everywhere. White is, after all, one of the best football announcers on the planet, and he was, at the time, the lead voice for NBC’s Premier League coverage, and the voice of the AFC Richmond Greyhounds on Apple TV’s Ted Lasso. The Fire had White meeting fans at local soccer pubs, and he was making constant media appearances. After all, that was the point, right? To leverage White’s voice and good name to hopefully draw more attention to the Fire.

This year, things are very different. White is no longer with NBC, and is now calling golf for the controversial LIV Tour–the Saudi-backed PGA Tour breakaway. The tour, like the Saudi purchase of Newcastle United, is seen as “sportswashing”–basically an attempt by the Saudis to make themselves look good to the rest of the world despite their horrible human rights record.

Despite calls for his firing, the club decided to keep White on the mic for the handful of summer matches on his schedule. Unlike last year, though, there was no pomp and circumstance surrounding his arrival. There were no media appearances, except on the podcast he hosts with Tyler Terens, the Fire’s usual play-by-play guy (Terens moves to sideline reporter during White’s summer run on the mic for WGN).

White will, no doubt, be fantastic on the call. But, it will come with a giant elephant in the broadcast booth during his run here.

Calvo’s Out

Unfortunately, Francisco Calvo is out with an ankle injury for San Jose, and will not be able to play against his old mates. If Calvo had played, surely there would have been a point where he picked the ball up in his defensive third, dribbled 60 yards, lost it, and left his fellow defenders scrambling to defend a counter attack. If you haven’t watched Calvo since he left the Fire, he’s still the same dude: excellent passer, takes huge risks going forward, but switches off or vacates his position at key moments. He’s got two goals and an assist this season for the Quakes, and is second in MLS in interceptions, but like in Chicago and Minnesota before that, his team is terrible and leads MLS in goals allowed.

Fabrizio Romano recently reported that the Turkish side Konyaspor are interested in Calvo, so he may be on the way out of MLS entirely.

Don’t Forget about Brady

The Chicago Fire’s other 18-year-old goalkeeping star, Chris Brady, has the U.S. U-20’s in the final of the Concacaf U-20 Championship tonight against the Dominican Republic (7 p.m. CT, FS1). The Yanks have already clinched a spot in the U-20 World Cup, and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris–which will mark the U.S. men’s first Olympic appearance since 2008. Like Kobe once said, though, “job’s not done.” The U.S. men will attempt to win the entire continental tournament tonight, then they can truly celebrate.

Brady hasn’t faced a ton of shots in the tourney, but he’s been stellar when he’s been called upon. It’s clear once Gaga Slonina moves to a major European club, Brady will be more than ready to step in as the Fire’s starter.

How to Watch

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Chicago Fire

MLS Match Day #18 | Sunday, July 3 | PayPal Park, San Jose, CA

Kickoff: 8 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Fire Availability Report

• OUT: Chris Brady (international duty)
• OUT: Kendall Burks (right knee)
• OUT: Miguel Navarro (health & safety protocols)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Mauricio Pineda (health & safety protocols)
• QUESTIONABLE: Jairo Torres (left hip)

San Jose Earthquakes Availability Report

• OUT: Francisco Calvo (right ankle)
• OUT: Cade Cowell (international duty)
• OUT: Chofis (personal)
• OUT: Gilbert Fuentes (personal)
• OUT: Siad Haji (concussion)
• OUT: Niko Tsakiris (international duty)

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, July 9 | Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Wednesday, July 13 | Chicago Fire vs. Toronto FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 16 | Chicago Fire vs. Seattle Sounders | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 23 | Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Chicago Fire | BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 30 | Chicago Fire vs. Atlanta United | Soldier Field, Chicago | 4 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live – Doubleheader: Chicago Red Stars vs. San Diego Wave to follow

Prediction

This feels like a game where the Fire slip up, but they won’t. We say the Fire win 2-0 off a Chris Mueller brace.

After the match, Shaqiri didn’t mince words about what he means to the Fire. He’s not normally this boastful, but this answer felt Zlatan-esque.

“I am the leader of this team, and if I’m on the pitch, the team is a bit different,” Shaqiri told CHGO’s Alex Campbell. “Of course, I try to help with my football skills, but also with the leadership, to grow, because we have a lot of young players who need to learn.”

Playing in a central No. 10 role, Shaqiri led the team in touches (89), completed passes in the final third (20), and crosses attempted (9). He also made seven recoveries, and was second on the team with 46 completed passes (next to Gastón Giménez’s 55). Shaqiri didn’t score the game’s lone goal—that honor went to Federico Navarro—but his presence and work helped the Fire pick up a vital win, moving the team out of the basement in the Eastern Conference.

“With that ball, he’s just amazing, he finds passes, he unlocks defenses,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said of his star DP. “And now, we’ve just got to finish some of these opportunities that he’s putting guys in one-v-one.

“We’re not a team that’s going to kick it long and chase after it,” Hendrickson continued. “That’s not our style. We like to keep the ball, and you see what happens when Shaq is on the pitch, guys. It helps us play our game. The premise of our game is to play in the front half, pin the opponents back by being relentless in our possession. And that’s something we thrive on. But when you don’t have your maestro, so to speak, Shaq, on the pitch, then it becomes difficult because he’s just so good of a player.”

While Shaqiri’s talent has never really been in doubt, his durability has been a problem for the Fire this season. His first stint with Switzerland earlier in the season resulted in a calf injury that caused him to miss two matches, and saw his minutes limited in others. On his second international stint, he picked up a hamstring injury that kept him out of the 1-0 win over D.C. United. Then, he missed the following match, a dismal 2-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo, this time with nausea.

Hendrickson has said week after week some variation of “we don’t want to risk it” with Shaqiri’s various ailments, which is understandable to a point. But with the Fire needing every point possible to keep any playoff hopes alive, it’s probably time for Hendrickson to start pushing things a little more with his star midfielder—who, at $8.15 million this season, was listed as MLS’s top-paid player in the annual MLS Players’ Association salary postings (although he’s likely been passed up by Toronto FC’s Lorenzo Insigne).

Shaqiri’s absences have been immensely frustrating for Fire fans who just want to see the team win, especially when we’ve only started to see his full potential. Those who know him well insist Shaqiri’s not here for an end-of-career MLS vacation, and instead is fiercely competitive and willing to do what it takes to win. If he remains healthy for the remainder of the season, and the Fire can take advantage this upcoming stretch of weak opponents (next up: Francisco Calvo’s 14^th place San Jose Earthquakes host the Fire on Sunday), then maybe, just maybe, the Fire can creep back into the playoff picture.

“I want to be successful, too, with this team,” Shaqiri told CHGO. “With that, we need performances. I try to push them too every day in training and the game. We need to change a bit, the old football they had. We need to control more of the game, more playful football, more creative football, and that’s what I want.

“We are not in a bad way. We are in a good way to do that. You can see that today that we play more football, quicker football, one-two touch, players doing better positions, but, still, we need to learn a lot, but today was a good step forward, and that was important.”

Patrick’s CHGO Fire Podcast co-host, Alex Campbell, contributed to this report.

Philly clearly thought the 29-year-old Polish striker’s best days were behind him, opting to deal him to Chicago for $1.15 million in General Allocation Money. Thus far, it’s looking like the Union got the better end of the deal. After a 12 goal, four assist 2021, Przybylko has just three goals and one assist thus far in 2022 for Chicago.

These are, needless to say, two clubs going in opposite directions. The Union just took over first place in the Eastern Conference with a 2-1 victory over NYCFC, and the Fire dropped back into last place in all of MLS with a disappointing 2-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo.

Shaq’s back, probably

Xherdan Shaqiri is not listed on the availability report, and presumably is available to play against Philadelphia. Shaqiri missed the Houston match with a non-Covid illness, after missing the previous match against D.C. United with a hamstring injury.

“He was nauseated and stuff, was able to take some medication and train on Friday,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson explained after the Houston match. “But then after that on his way to the airport, he became nauseated again. We just thought it wasn’t a good idea to bring him. You know, make sure he’s healthy.”

Shaqiri has missed four games for the Fire, playing just over 1,000 minutes since joining the team in February.

Meanwhile, fellow Designated Player Jairo Torres is set to miss yet another match with a lingering hip issue. Torres is listed as out. Since joining the Fire on May 1 from Mexico’s Atlas FC, Torres has only made four appearances–with one start–totaling just 164 minutes.

How to Watch

Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union

MLS Match Day #17 | Wednesday, June 29 | Soldier Field, Chicago

Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT

TV: WGN-TV

Streaming: CF97 Live (available for free at ChicagoFire.com or the Chicago Fire mobile app for fans watching within 75 miles of Soldier Field)

Out of Market Streaming: ESPN+

Follow Us! @CHGO_Fire

Fire Availability Report

• OUT: Jairo Torres (left hip)
• OUT: Chris Brady (national team duty)
• OUT: Kendall Burks (right knee)
• OUT: Miguel Navarro (health and safety protocols)
• OUT: Mauricio Pineda (health and safety protocols)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• QUESTIONABLE: Federico Navarro (right knee)

Philadelphia Union Availability Report

• OUT: None
• QUESTIONABLE: Jesus Bueno (calf)

Next Up for Chicago

Sunday, July 3 | San Jose Earthquakes vs. Chicago Fire | PayPal Park | 8 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 9 | Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Wednesday, July 13 | Chicago Fire vs. Toronto FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 16 | Chicago Fire vs. Seattle Sounders | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 23 | Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Chicago Fire | BC Place, Vancouver, BC, Canada | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Prediction

Somehow, our friends at PointsBet have the Fire as moneyline favorites: +130 for a Fire win, +210 for a Union victory. We say this one goes to Philly with a 2-0 win.

Like the Fire, Houston has had a rocky 2022 thus far. They sit 10th in the Western Conference, with their last win coming back on May 22 over the LA Galaxy. It’s expected to be extremely hot. Afternoon highs will hit 101 degrees, and it won’t be much cooler by kickoff. Fire captain Rafael Czichos, who spent his career in the German Bundesliga before coming to Chicago earlier this year, said it will be the hottest game of his career.

Hendrickson said the Fire are ready for it.

“It’s been a good thing it’s been warm this past week in Chicago so we have kind of been getting prepared for that,” Hendrickson said. “We just have to be smart when we go there. They have been in that type of humid weather for quite some time now. So obviously they are going to be more conditioned to it than us, more used to it. But at the end of the day, you roll the ball out and we have a game plan that will maximize our physical ability to finish that game strongly.”

It’s unclear whether he’ll start, but Hendrickson confirmed the Fire will have the services of Xherdan Shaqiri, who missed the win over D.C. United after picking up a hamstring injury playing for Switzerland. They’ll be without several other key players, though–Miguel Navarro and Mauricio Pineda are both out undergoing health and safety protocols, and Jairo Torres is out again with the lingering hip issue he’s been dealing with since joining the Fire in early May.

Omsberg Surgery Update

Fire defender Wyatt Omsberg successfully underwent reconstructive surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left foot. There’s no official return to play date, but Hendrickson has said he expects Omsberg to miss more than three months–likely meaning the rest of the 2022 season. It’s a huge blow to both Omsberg and the team. The Maine native was having a career year, and cemented himself into the starting XI alongside Czichos before the injury.

It’s been awhile, huh?

This marks the first time the Fire and Dynamo have played since Sept. 23, 2020 at Soldier Field, a game the Fire won 4-0 off goals from Fabian Herbers, Robert Beric, Alvaro Medran, and CJ Sapong. The Fire haven’t played a game in Houston since Aug. 3, 2019–a 1-0 win with Nemanja Nicolic scoring the game’s only goal.

An old friend in a new place

When the camera pans to Nagamura’s bench, Fire fans might catch a glimpse of one of Chicago’s all-time greats. Zach Thornton, who made 215 appearances for the Fire between 1998-2006, is Houston’s goalkeeper coach.

How to Watch

Houston Dynamo vs. Chicago Fire

MLS Match Day #16 | Saturday, June 25 | PNC Stadium, Houston, TX

Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT

TV: Univision, TUDN (in Spanish, with English commentary available by using the SAP function)

Streaming: Twitter (English)

Fire Availability Report

• OUT: Chris Brady (international duty)
• OUT: Kendall Burks (right knee)
• OUT: Miguel Navarro (health & safety protocols)
• OUT: Wyatt Omsberg (left foot)
• OUT: Mauricio Pineda (health & safety protocols)
• OUT: Jairo Torres (left hip)
• OUT: Missael Rodríguez (left hip)
• QUESTIONABLE: Xherdan Shaqiri (right thigh)
• QUESTIONABLE: Carlos Terán (left knee)

Houston Dynamo Availability Report

• OUT: None

Next Up for Chicago

Wednesday, June 29 | Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Sunday, July 3 | San Jose Earthquakes vs. Chicago Fire | PayPal Park | 8 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 9 | Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Wednesday, July 13 | Chicago Fire vs. Toronto FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 16 | Chicago Fire vs. Seattle Sounders | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Prediction

The heat defeats both teams. 0-0.

Wyatt Omsberg, who has gone from a surprise starter early in the season to one of the team’s best performers, will undergo surgery Friday for a foot injury he picked up in second half stoppage time against D.C. United. Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said Omsberg will be out “more than three months,” which could mean the rest of the 2022 season.

“It’s unfortunate for Wyatt,” Hendrickson said. “He… picked up the mantle and ran with it. He’s been really, really good for us. He’s been one of our most consistent players so far this year. And you know, having worked so hard to get where he finally got to and then to have such a setback, I’m sure mentally it’s going to weigh on him a little bit.”

In much better news, Xherdan Shaqiri will be available to play Saturday in Houston, Hendrickson said. He’s been working with the Fire’s return-to-play specialist after tweaking his hamstring in a UEFA Nations League match earlier this month.

“I think we’re just going to play him,” Hendrickson said. “We’ll see where he’s at. We still have, you know, a couple more days, we have a training session tomorrow and then some treatment and stuff on Friday night, early Saturday morning. So we’ll see where he’s at but he’ll definitely play. How much he’ll play, I’m not sure yet but we’ll definitely –he’ll definitely get minutes on Saturday.”

Jairo Torres continues to struggle with his “tricky” hip injury, and is probably a week away from playing, Hendrickson said.

Best Fire performance this season

Was last Saturday’s 1-0 win over D.C. United the Fire’s best performance of the season? It was certainly a massive result, stopping a three month winless streak, but was it the best we’ve seen the Fire play this year?

Result aside, Fire captain Rafael Czichos said the team’s best performance of the year may have actually come in the 3-2 loss to Toronto FC right before the international break, where the Fire’s offense generated 33 shots. The Fire were up 2-1 in the second half, when Alejandro Pozuelo scored twice within seven minutes–including a converted penalty–to kill the Fire’s momentum.

“We played –we had a lot of possession,” Czichos said. “We were really aggressive. We had a lot of chances, I think the most chances in the season so far but the problem was the result. And finally last weekend we found a way to win the game. We had a clean sheet, which is important for us, as a defender, and the whole defense line. I hope we can take the confidence we got back last weekend with us to Houston and use to play a good game in Houston.”

Hendrickson agreed.

“The best team performance, I would say, probably the Toronto game,” Hendrickson said. “But the best result, I would say, was this D.C. game last week. As far as, you know, not having a win in ten games and having to come out after that break and really get three points, you know, rarely do we say games are must-wins but if we are honest, we’d say that D.C. game was probably a must-win for us just so that we keep guys motivated, keep guys confident. Because you know, if you come back after the break, they worked so hard for those two weeks, and then we don’t get a result there at home against a team that we had beaten before, then mentally that can be draining.”

Fire license plates coming to Illinois

More than a decade ago, the Illinois’ Secretary of State’s office rolled out specialty license plates featuring the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, White Sox and Cubs. Since then the state began offering plates featuring the St. Louis Cardinals–a team that plays in Missouri–but Fire fans were still left out.

Not anymore. On Thursday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed HB4434, which will allow the Secretary of State’s office to offer Fire, Red Stats, and Sky license plates. So, if you want to play a little extra every year to rock a Fire logo on your plates, now you can.

“I said to them remember this feeling, remember how good it feels to walk off a pitch when you’ve played well knowing that you didn’t give the game away or you didn’t lose the game,” Hendrickson said. “There were a lot of times there were games that we tied like Red Bull, for instance, that we should have won. There are games that we lost that we probably should have tied, let’s say Cincinnati for instance. And hopefully we could stop that and we can change the narrative about this team, that there is a team that can close out games.”

One one hand, he’s right. The team has shown glimpses of quality soccer, on the attack, in midfield, and on defense. But those glimpses have been coupled with poor finishing, stupid fouls, and defensive mishaps. Of the Fire’s three wins this season, two have come over fellow bottom dweller D.C. United, and the other was against one of the Western Conference’s weakest sides, Sporting Kansas City. On paper this team is very good, and they do good things, but realistically they’re nowhere near a playoff team at this point.

But, this is Major League Soccer. Bad teams can go on a quick tear and change their fortunes. It happens–never to the Fire, mind you–but it does happen. So what would it take to sneak into the playoffs? Let’s take a look:

Currently, expansion side Charlotte FC sits in the seventh and final spot in the East, with 20 points earned in 16 games. That puts Charlotte on pace to finish with 42.5 points. It took 48 points to make the postseason last year, so let’s split the difference and say it will take 45 this season.

Chicago is on 14 points through 15 games played, giving the Fire 19 more games to find 31 points. That would look something like this: eight wins (24 points), seven draws (7 points), and four losses.

The Fire’s next five games feature four pretty bad opponents: Houston (10th in West), Philadelphia (3rd in East), Francisco Calvo’s San Jose Earthquakes (14th in West), the Columbus Crew (11th in East), and Toronto FC (12th in East). If the Fire can somehow string together a few results and come away with 10 points from the next five matches, they’d make up enough ground the playoffs might start to seem possible.

Against D.C., the Fire’s back line of Jonathan Bornstein, Rafael Czichos, Wyatt Omsberg, and Boris Sekulic was so strong that Gaga Slonina didn’t have to make a single save. Gastón Giménez actually looked like a Designated Player in midfield, winning balls and spraying brilliant passes. And the attackers, although they only scored one goal, were creating plenty of chances. Brian Gutierrez was strong filling in for Xherdan Shaqiri, Chris Mueller was fantastic out wide and centrally later in the game, and Fabian Herbers delivered his usual workhorse performance off the bench, coming away with his first goal since 2020 (we’re not saying it was because of the piece we wrote about Herbers at CHGO before the match, but we’re also not not saying that).

Sure, it’s just one complete performance, and the Fire will need a lot more than this before they can even start thinking about the playoffs. But, it was something. Finally.

“Yeah, I think we have to build on it, I think we have to use that momentum going forward,” Bornstein said after the match. “We have another good week of preparation before the game in Houston. We go on the road, so for us, we have to win every single game that we have in front of us to get ourselves back in the race for playoffs and so I think everyone is prepared for that.”

Injury Updates

Hendrickson said they’re hoping Shaqiri and his hamstring will be ready to go for Houston, but they’re continuing to be careful and not push things. Jairo Torres missed yet another match with a lingering hip issue that seemed to start after he left Atlas to join the Fire, and there’s no new word on how he’s doing, other than that he’s “day-to-day”. And Hendrickson didn’t have an update yet on Omsberg, who appeared to suffer a foot injury in second half stoppage time against D.C., after turning in a brilliant performance. We should learn more on all the injured players later this week before the team leaves for Houston.

It’s unfortunate, because the Fire find themselves in desperate need of three points, and this game should be very winnable. The Fire haven’t won since March 19 against Sporting Kansas City, one day shy of three months ago. While they sit dead last in the Eastern Conference with only 11 points in 2022, D.C. is just one spot ahead of them.

Other than two games–a 4-1 loss in Atlanta and a 3-0 loss in Minnesota, the Fire been in every other game this season. But, they’ve found ways to lose one-goal games in an almost comical fashion. When the defense is red-hot, the attack can’t score. When the offense is clicking, the defense is suddenly sloppy. When they need discipline, a player suddenly picks up a second yellow, and they’re down a man.

“We are very close, the last four games that we’ve played we have showed that we can play with anyone in the League,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said this week. “I don’t think there’s a team out there that is looking forward to playing the Chicago Fire even though we are in, you know, basically last place right now.”

A lot has changed since these two teams played back in March. The Fire walked away from that one 2-0 winners, with goals from Stanislav Ivanov and Jonathan Bornstein. Since then D.C. dumped head coach Hernan Losada for Chad Ashton, and the Fire have added Chris Mueller and Jairo Torres. D.C. is also on a long winless run, albeit not nearly as bad as the Fire. Their last victory came on May 7 over the Houston Dynamo.

There could be another big change coming for D.C., too. After taking part in the intercontinental playoff for Peru in the heartbreaking penalty loss to Australia (and lunatic goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne), multiple reports have D.C. United Designated Player Edison Flores potentially set to join Liga MX champs Atlas, Torres’ old club.

20,000+ expected

The Fire are expecting more than 20,000 fans for this one, and the weather’s looking gorgeous so there should be a good number of last minute buyers, too. If you’re going, plan on getting there a little early to avoid long lines getting in.

Zee Soccer Pod Derby

With D.C.’s Julian Gressel set to square off against Chicago’s Fabian Herbers, bragging rights are at stake on Zee Soccer Pod, the podcast the two German pals host together. CHGO talked to Herbers about the pod’s growing popularity in an interview this week.

How to Watch

Chicago Fire vs. D.C. United

MLS Match Day #15 | Saturday, June 18 | Soldier Field, Chicago

Kickoff: 7 p.m. CT

TV: Univision, TUDN (in Spanish, with English commentary available on SAP)

Streaming: Twitter (English)

Live Twitter Updates: @CHGO_Fire (make sure you’re following us!)

Fire Availability Report

• OUT: Chris Brady (international duty)
• OUT: Kendall Burks (right knee)
• OUT: Xherdan Shaqiri (right thigh)
• OUT: Miguel Navarro (health & safety protocols)
• QUESTIONABLE: Jairo Torres (left hip)

D.C. United Availability Report

• OUT: Adrien Perez (foot)
• OUT: Moses Nyeman (thigh)
• OUT: Chris Odoi-Atsem (ankle)
• OUT: Theodore Ku-Dipietro (thigh)
• OUT: Jacob Greene (thigh)
• OUT: Hayden Sargis (illness)
• QUESTIONABLE: Bill Hamid (illness)
• QUESTIONABLE: Russell Canouse (thigh)

Next Up for Chicago

Saturday, June 25 | Houston Dynamo vs. Chicago Fire | PNC Stadium, Houston, TX | 7 p.m. CT, UniMas, TUDN

Wednesday, June 29 | Chicago Fire vs. Philadelphia Union | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Sunday, July 3 | San Jose Earthquakes vs. Chicago Fire | PayPal Park | 8 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Saturday, July 9 | Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Wednesday, July 13 | Chicago Fire vs. Toronto FC | Soldier Field, Chicago | 7 p.m. CT, WGN-TV, CF97 Live

Prediction

This should be as winnable as it gets for the Fire. But with no Shaqiri, scoring chances may be hard to come by. Still, we’ll say it ends up 2-1 to the Fire.

But for listeners of a certain MLS podcast, D.C. vs. Chicago is something very special. For the second and final time in 2022, it’s Zee Soccer Podcast Derby. Fire midfielder Fabian Herbers and D.C. United wingback Julian Gressel–two Germans who’ve made a life for themselves as pros in America–have hosted a weekly podcast for a little more than a year now.

Zee Soccer Podcast (“Zee” is the word “the” pronounced in a German accent, although neither guy really has one) started in the beginning of the 2021 season. The two were figuring it out in the fly, and the episodes were interesting, but a little bit weird and clunky at times. Since then the two have become a lot more polished, and the show has become a must-listen. You want to know what MLS players really think about each other, their coaches, who’s-making-what, and what’s going on in the locker room? You have to listen to Fabi and Jules.

“We came in starting the project without any expectations, but I think it’s gotten more fun over the time we’ve done it, and I think it’s about consistency,” Herbers told CHGO. “We aim to do it every week and I think the consistency is key in that part; that you grow your followership and sometimes you have some real good topics that sometimes the media doesn’t really get.”

One of those topics came earlier this season. Zee Soccer Pod blew up after a match between the Fire and Inter Miami, when Herbers went off on Miami superstar striker Gonzalo Higuain. A bit of back story, here: in a game last season, Herbers asked for Higuain’s jersey. At halftime, Higuain said no problem. After the game, though, Higuain rudely blew him off.

Then, after the Fire played Miami again this past March, Gressel asked Herbers if he’d asked Higuain for his jersey a second time. That’s when Fabi unloaded on the Argentine superstar:

“Fuck that guy,” Herbers said on the show. “This guy’s so pathetic. I don’t know, just, I mean, obviously he’s a presence on the field, and every time like a teammate of his makes a wrong pass or something or doesn’t pass the ball exactly to him, he’s just standing there, looks at him in his, like, negative mood, and just making like his by his whole body language is just terrible.”

Because Higuain is one of the most famous names in the sport, that quote landed everywhere. Google “Fabian Herbers Higuain,” and you get page after page of news stories from all over the world, in German, Italian, Spanish and several other languages. On fan forums some sided with Higuain, but most people related with Herbers, and why not? Most of us have never been pro athletes, but a lot of us have worked with terrible people who rest on their laurels, don’t work hard, and yell at others because they can.

The kicker came last month, when Gressel decided to keep the bit going. After a D.C. United-Inter Miami match, Gressel asked for–and got–Higuain’s jersey, with the Argentine seemingly oblivious to who Gressel was, or the controversy he’d unknowingly started.

The Higuain situation got the most attention, but the two consistently deliver interesting content every week. On the last couple episodes they’ve had particularly good guests–Charlotte FC (and former Fire) midfielder Brandt Bronico, and Wolfsburg’s Kevin Paredes, Gressel’s old teammate in D.C. Because they’re talking to fellow players and not reporters, the show’s guests tend to let their guard down a little more. Bronico talked about his departure from Chicago after the 2020 season, when he was told he wasn’t in the plans anymore, and how that helped him to land back home in Charlotte. And Paredes–an American–talked about what it was like living in Germany as a 19-year-old, with a couple of Germans living in America asking the questions. You get the sense Gressel and Herbers love helping their fellow players share their stories and opinions.

The two talk about their personal lives, too. Gressel is a dad, and talks about the joys and difficulties of fatherhood. Herbers has talked about his dating life, his travels, injury struggles, and even his recent bout with Covid after returning from a trip to Mexico during the international break.

“It’s been a fun journey so far,” Herbers said. “It’s growing and a good project that I have together with Jules.”

Soldier Field Saturday

Herbers got the better of his co-host earlier this season at Audi Field in D.C., with a 2-0 Fire win. Saturday’s game at Soldier Field (7 p.m. CT) will be the last time the two face each other this season, unless both teams somehow drastically turn things around and make the postseason.

“[D.C. is} a dangerous team. I think usually they play with five in the back and obviously Julian Gressel puts in a lot of dangerous crosses from that side,” Herbers said, praising his friend and co-host. “I think it’s a team that’s just picked up rhythm and it’s up to us to disrupt that rhythm now and ourselves create some momentum going forward.”

Whatever happens, we’ll find out what really happened on the pitch when the latest episode of Zee Soccer Pod drops after the match.

Shaqiri is day-to-day with a minor hamstring strain, Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson said today. The club is monitoring and evaluating the severity, and right now it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to play against D.C. United this Saturday.

“We’ll know more in the next couple days as to how severe that is,” Hendrickson said.

Last time Shaqiri left to play for Switzerland, he came back with a lingering calf injury that kept him out of action for several games.

In other injury news, Hendrickson said Jairo Torres is still nursing that same hip injury he’s had since joining the Fire in early May.

D.C. United visits Soldier Field Saturday

The Fire are expecting more than 20,000 fans at Soldier Field for Saturday’s match, and the weather looks beautiful so that number should continue to grow. The Fire are facing D.C. for the second time this season. The first match, back in March, was a 2-0 win with goals from Stanislav Ivanov and Jonathan Bornstein. Since then D.C. has changed head coaches, with Chad Ashton taking over for Hernan Losada.

“We’re not expecting they’re gonna come here and lay down for us,” Hendrickson said. “It’s gonna be a battle. They need points just like we do.”

The Gaga Saga

It looks like Gaga Slonina will be headed to Stamford Bridge. Fabrizio Romano reported today Chelsea is finalizing an offer worth around $10 million for the 18-year-old star goalkeeper from Addison, Ill. That’s a significant increase over an offer made by Real Madrid.

There’s no official word on the Fire’s end of things–Hendrickson politely declined to answer a question about Slonina’s future today–but it appears the deal is inching closer to completion. Any deal would likely see Slonina loaned back to the Fire, at least through the end of the 2022 MLS season.

Ezra, on Ezra

Through 14 games, the Fire sit dead last in MLS. Even as a first year head coach, this can’t be how Hendrickson thought things would go. He gave an insightful self-evaluation on his successes and failures at Wednesday’s news conference:

“We knew it would take awhile, that some patience would be needed,” Hendrickson said of his performance as head coach thus far. “I’m still kind of learning on the job, even though I’ve been an assistant coach for a number of years. When you’re making that final decision, things become a little different, there’s a little more pressure.

“All that being said, I think I’ve handled it well. It’s not easy, especially when you’re not getting the job done, not so much tactically, but the mistakes being made. Ultimately, as a head coach, you’re responsible for an ill-advised foul in the box, or an ill-advised two yellow red card. Things like that, I take responsibility for that, because it’s my job to make sure the guys stay disciplined. When we make mistakes that hurt the team, that ultimately comes down to me. I think in that aspect, I need to improve.”

Undisciplined play has certainly hurt the Fire big-time this season, and is among the biggest reasons for the poor start. That will need to change if they want to dig themselves out of this hole.

CHGO Fire Podcast

Make sure you check out the latest edition of the CHGO Fire Podcast. Alex and I talk about the Apple TV deal and how it affects the Fire, the Gaga to West London report (remember, Alex is. a huge Chelsea fan, so this affects him on both ends), and our predictions for D.C. United.

In a giant gamble, Major League Soccer has sold rights to all its matches to Apple as part of a 10-year deal. Every league match will be available–with no blackout restrictions–on a new MLS streaming service available in the Apple TV app. (In other words, this isn’t Apple TV+, where you go to watch Ted Lasso. This is a separate streaming service within Apple TV.)

“We want to make it easy to consume, whether they’re a fan of the Chicago Fire in Chicago, or they’re a fan of the Chicago Fire in another city or country,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said during a news conference Tuesday.

As part of the deal, there will be some matches in front of the paywall on Apple TV, and some matches will be available on linear TV–perhaps ESPN. But every match, whether it’s being simulcast on linear TV or not, will be available in the Apple MLS package.

For MLS, it’s a huge gamble.

“We’re convinced this is where our fans are going, and this is where the business is going. We have the opportunity to do it before anybody else,” Garber said.

So what do we know? Let’s take a look:

The Benefits

• No more blackouts. Watch the Fire, or any other team, anywhere
• Simplicity: Every game available in one place
• Pre-game, halftime, and post-game programming available for every game
• A Red Zone-style whip around show every Saturday night, which could be as long as six hours
• Fire season ticket holders get a subscription included with their ticket package
• Some matches still on linear TV
• Fans can select a team’s local radio call as the match audio in a drop down menu. (Currently, the Fire don’t have a local radio call in English, only in Spanish)
• Apple has a massive financial incentive to treat MLS as a partner, and help promote the league
• Apple will stream locally-produced content (think the Fire’s No Little Plans series, or Ezra Hendrickson’s weekly news conferences).

The Drawbacks

• You’ll have to pay for yet another streaming service (no price details are available yet)
• No games on local TV, so no more WGN/CF97 Live broadcasts. It’ll be harder for new fans to “stumble” on a game and become a fan.
• Deal is geared toward younger fans, and fans already using Apple products. Some fans will think it’s not worth the trouble, when they can’t just turn on the TV and watch.
• Announce teams will be regional, and it’s unclear whether they’ll always be on site, or will be calling games off monitors
• Many announcers will lose their jobs (although we do expect Fire play-by-play man Tyler Terens to be a part of the new venture, nothing’s been announced yet).

The deal is worth a reported $250 million a season, which Garber would not confirm, but he did say MLS is looking at this differently than a traditional media rights deal.

“It’s a minimum guarantee, not a rights fee. This is a partnership we’re forming with Apple,” Garber said, stressing the company’s innovation of the music and news industries as reasons for optimism.

More than many other fanbases, Fire fans are ready for this. Prior to Joe Mansueto’s deal with WGN that began in 2020, fans had to pay to watch the Fire on ESPN+. Given that history, most die hard Fire fans will probably pay the subscription fee to watch their team play. But will this help the Fire–and the league, for that matter–grow? That’s the big question. Alex Campbell and I will talk a lot more about this on Wednesday’s CHGO Fire Podcast at 12:15 CT. Make sure you tune in on YouTube, or listen later wherever you get your podcasts!

El Tri is, by any standard, among the biggest sports teams in the United States, soccer or otherwise. Anywhere they play, every game is packed, with a carnival atmosphere bubbling around the stadium. Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Pavel Pardo brought a version of that energy to then-Toyota Park when they played for the Fire. So, as Alex pointed out, why did it take another 10 years for the Fire to finally sign a Mexican player?

Jairo Torres doesn’t have nearly the name recognition of Blanco or Pardo, but he is a budding star in his own right. He has one appearance for El Tri–back in 2019–and he was a key part of the Atlas team that won the Liga MX Apetura with him in the fall, and that just won the Clasura after he departed to join the Fire.

Torres did an appearance in Pilsen shortly after signing, and this week he stopped by the Mexican Consulate for meet-and-greet. It’s clear he can help the Fire reach at least some of the rabid Mexican soccer fans who love the sport, but don’t necessarily love the Fire. But can he really impact attendance? Well, with the Fire in last place, the team is still expecting roughly 20,000 fans on June 18 against D.C. United, and that number could continue to grow. How much of that is due to Jairo? We will see.

Brady to US U-20s

Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady will join the US U-20 team for the upcoming Concacaf U-20 Championship in Honduras, US Soccer announced today. The tournament has massive implications–it will determine the countries earning spots at the U-20 World Cup, and the 2024 Summer Olympics.

The Fire declined to release Gabriel Slonina and Brian Gutierrez for the tournament, because of their importance to the Fire first team. Brady has four starts this season for Chicago Fire II in MLS Next Pro play, and has recorded one win, two clean sheets, and 20 saves. After Slonina is eventually sold to a European club, Brady is the likely heir apparent. For that reason, the Fire recently gave him a new contract with an extension through 2026, with a club option for 2027.

The U.S. kicks things off on Saturday, June 18 against St. Kitts and Nevis, followed by Canada on Monday, June 20, and Cuba on Wednesday, June 22. All three games kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT, and will take place at Estadio Nacional in Tegucigalpa.

International Round Up

Xherdan Shaqiri played 80 minutes and picked up a yellow card for Switzerland in a 1-0 loss to Spain in UEFA Nations League play this week. It was a third straight Nations League loss for the Swiss, who wrap up the window with another match against Portugal this Sunday.

Miguel Navarro came on at halftime for Venezuela in a 1-0 friendly win over Saudi Arabia. He did not see action in Venezuela’s other friendly this window, a 1-0 win over Malta.

Sergio Oregel Jr. scored for the US U-19’s in a 3-0 win over Norway.

Chicago Fire II’s Omari Glasgow is on a tear for the Guyana National Team in Concacaf Nations League play. He scored twice in a 2-1 win over Monserrat, and followed that with another goal in a 2-1 win over Bermuda. The Fire have high hopes that Glasgow will one day play for the first team.

Almost back…

After this lengthy break, the Fire are back in action June 18 against D.C. United. If you’re looking for content to get you through the break, check out the latest episode of the CHGO Fire podcast. We talked to Andy McDermott, who runs an organization called Intentional Sports that’s building a massive soccer facility that will host free soccer programs in one of Chicago’s poorest areas. He’s a very cool guy, and it’s a very interesting project.

CJ Sapong

The Fire let Sapong walk after the 2020 season, replacing him with a much younger Chinonso Offor. Last season, Sapong had 12 goals and five assists for Nashville SC, and he’s followed that up with five goals and three assists already this year.

CJ was the Fire’s leading scorer in 2019, and the only reason his production dropped in 2020 was extremely understandable: his daughter was fighting for her life after being born very premature, and Sapong was focused on his family, rightfully so.

CJ’s only making $550,000 this season for that production, which feels like a steal. Should the Fire have let him go? Absolutely not.

Verdict? CJ wins, the Fire lose.

Djordje Mihailovic

Before his recent injury, Mihailovic was playing so well in Montreal he was getting shouts as an MLS MVP candidate. Look at these numbers: seven goals, four assists this season, and that’s after four goals and a league leading 16 assists last season.

On paper, letting Djordje go seems insane, but there was a lot going on behind the scenes. The Fire were tired of his attitude, and on Djordje’s end there was a ton of distrust toward the club. It was one of those situations that could–and should–have been handled with more open communication, but that didn’t happen. It’s an absolute shame the homegrown kid from Lemont isn’t still playing here before eventually going to Europe.

I don’t think you can argue the Fire have yet benefitted from his departure, with much of the money they received essentially going to pay Kacper Przybylko, but it sure seems like Djordje needed this change of scenery to flourish.

Verdict? Djordje wins, the Fire lose.

Sean Johnson

Don’t get me started. The fan favorite left the Fire after the 2016 season, with critics arguing at the time he wasn’t good enough with his feet. Since then the Fire have had a cavalcade of goalkeepers–some decent (Bobby Shuttleworth), many not so much (take your pick). 

Gaga Slonina might have eventually bumped Johnson from the starting role, but Gaga was 12 when Johnson left. The Fire should have kept Johnson several years longer. Since leaving, he’s won an MLS Cup for NYCFC, and forced himself into the conversation to appear on the USMNT roster for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Verdict? Johnson wins, the Fire lose.

Dax McCarty

The 2020 and 2021 Chicago Fire were screaming out for a strong veteran leader. The team was plagued at times with cliques and in-fighting, with captain Francisco Calvo and manager Raphael Wicky unable to help. McCarty’s voice certainly would have improved things.

McCarty (and Sapong) have Nashville SC in the playoff picture for the third straight season–this year in the Western Conference.

Verdict? McCarty wins, the Fire lose.

Przemyslaw Frankowski

Frankowski finished the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season with six goals, good enough to say he finished level with Lionel Messi. Frankie struggled to finish chances his last couple seasons in Chicago, but has flourished in France, earning regular call ups to the Polish National Team. This is a case where the Fire made a player-focused decision to let him go. He might have helped in the short term, but Georg Heitz and Co. made an important statement, showing the Fire are a place where young players can come and eventually earn a move to Europe.

Jairo Torres made it a point to say as much in his introductory news conference. Torres said he’s hoping to play well enough to eventually move on as well, which was refreshing. Hopefully the Fire will let Slonina move as well if Real Madrid makes the right offer. The Fire can, and should be a springboard for young talent to move to bigger leagues. They got that right with Frankie.

Verdict? Everyone wins.

Francisco Calvo

Calvo landed with the San Jose Earthquakes, where he’s again one of the best in the league in interceptions, and his defense is again one of the poorest in the league. Same story, new club. This was a no-brainer.

Verdict? Fire win.

The temperatures are heating up, which means Chicago is about to do the thing it does best: Summer. Yet some traditions are better than others. Join Kevin Kaduk, Herb Lawrence, Vinnie Duber and Luis Medina of Bleacher Nation Bears as they talk about Chicago summer favorites and whether they’re overrated, underrated or properly rated.

Also on the show: We check in with both baseball teams at the Memorial Day dividing line and talk about our favorite Bears memories.

Watch the replay on YouTube

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The September 10 match against Inter Miami, and the October 9 “Decision Day” match against the New England Revolution will have to be played somewhere other than Soldier Field. A return to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview could be a likely choice, but nothing is official.

Moving the Inter Miami match makes sense, with the Bears’ season opener against the 49ers scheduled the very next day, September 11. The Revs’ match is far more frustrating. The Fire can’t play at Soldier Field because of the Thursday, October 13th Bears game against the Washington Commanders–which is a full four days later. But, the Bears have a five-day window in their contract with the Chicago Park District, guaranteeing no other events can be held at the stadium in the five days leading up to a game. Apparently, the Bears won’t budge on this one.

Don’t count on Gaga or Guti for U.S. U-20s

U.S. Soccer is close to announcing the roster for the USMNT U-20 team that will take part in the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship, which is set to begin later this month in Honduras. It’s an important one–the tournament will determine not only the four nations representing Concacaf at the the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia, but also the two Concacaf representatives at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

A source says the Fire are not planning to release goalkeeper Gaga Slonina or midfielder Brian Gutierrez for the tournament, because of their importance to the Fire, and the number of games they’d potentially have to miss while away on international duty. But, if he’s healthy, goalkeeper Chris Brady could be released to take part. Because it’s not a senior level tournament, clubs aren’t obligated to release players who are called up.

Raphael Wicky heads home

Former Fire head coach Raphael Wicky is the new head coach of BSC Young Boys in the Swiss Super League, the club announced today. Wicky was fired last September after nearly two years in charge of the Fire. Now, he’ll have the chance to compete directly against his former bosses–Young Boys finished third in the Swiss Super League, one spot ahead of Joe Mansueto and Georg Heitz’s FC Lugano. With that third place finish, Wicky’s Young Boys will take part in the Europa Conference League next season.

International Duty

Four Fire players are off on international duty this month–Xherdan Shaqiri’s Switzerland plays four UEFA Nations League matches: Thursday, June 2 vs. Czech Republic, Sunday, June 5 vs. Portugal, Thursday, June 9 vs. Spain, and Sunday, June 12 vs. Portugal. Last time he played for his country, Shaqiri returned to Chicago with a lingering calf injury. Let’s hope this time he returns injury free.

Miguel Navarro was on the bench, but did not play for Venezuela in a 1-0 win over Malta on Wednesday. Venezuela will face Saudi Arabia on Thursday, June 9.

Also away: Sergio Oregel, Jr. is with Marko Mitrovic’s U.S. U-19 team in Spain for friendlies against England and Norway, and Fire II’s Omari Glasgow is with the Guyana National Team for a series of Concacaf Nations League matches.

Terens joins the CHGO Fire Podcast

With usual co-host Alex Campbell on international duty (sort of: he was in the stands for the USMNT’s 3-0 win over Morocco on Wednesday), Fire play-by-play man Tyler Terens joined the CHGO Fire Podcast in his place this week. Terens gave insight about the team’s morale after nearly three months without a victory, the latest he’s hearing about the new MLS TV contract, and he shared his strong feelings on Tony Meola’s favorite alcoholic beverage.

Watch the show on YouTube, or give it a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

This post is unlocked for everyone! To keep reading all of our premium written content–covering the Fire, Red Stars, Bears, Bulls, Sky, Cubs, Sox and Blackhawks–consider becoming a CHGO Member! You’ll get access to everything, you’ll support our work, plus you’ll get a sweet t-shirt of your choice from the CHGO Locker.

Case in point, Saturday night in Toronto. The Fire outshot Toronto 33 to 5, with nine shots on target to TFC’s four. The Fire connected nearly 200 more passes, and had the ball for almost two-thirds of the game. Cover up the final score, and the two teams involved, and you’d bet your mortgage that the dominant team would have walked away easy winners.

But this is soccer, this is MLS, and most importantly, this is the Chicago Fire–rescuing losses from sure fire wins for more than a decade now. Xherdan Shaqiri was brilliant again, Kacper Przybylko scored, Jairo Torres finally started (and nearly scored, until he was ruled offside), and Rafael Czichos returned from his injury. And, they were playing Toronto FC, one of the worst teams in the league. Everything was there.

Then came that weird penalty. Yes, Alejandro Pozuelo had one foot in the corner of the box. Yes, Federico Navarro bumped him shoulder to shoulder. Yes, you can argue it’s a penalty by the letter of the law, although it fees like terrible luck, just like last week’s handball by Miguel Navarro against NYCFC. Then came the late winner by Pozuelo, lifting Toronto to a 3-2 win. The question is, after nearly everything has changed, why is this stuff still happening to the Fire so often?

The club’s latest head coach, Ezra Hendrickson, was hired in part because of his rich history of winning in MLS, both as a player and as an assistant coach. After Saturday night’s debacle, he sent this tweet: PROMISE: Losing a game like this will NOT become the trademark of this current CFFC. Neither will “giving up 2nd half leads” in away games.

Fire defender Miguel Navarro seemed baffled after this latest loss.

“I’m not really sure,” Navarro said. “It was an incredible game. Sometimes football is like that; it’s unjust. We have to keep working hard and look over everything. It was really incredible. But like I said we have to keep our heads up and keep working hard and keep moving forward so that we can get points.”

I know as the CHGO Fire writer, I’m supposed to have answers here. Honestly, I don’t. It’s not working, but it’s not the same old thing every game. It’s tough to find trends. On paper the team is solid, I believe in Hendrickson, and yet they’re finding new ways to fail every week. It’s incredible–and painful–to watch.

The Fire have the week off to relax with their loved ones, before returning to training on Friday. Maybe that’s the one thing that can fix this–a mental reset. The next game isn’t until June 18, when D.C. United comes to Soldier Field. With 20 games to play, the Fire are in dead last, but are still only seven points back of seventh place Inter Miami.

A playoff run is still doable, but only if the Fire can shake this funk once and for all.

We love to build Mt. Rushmores and we love to hold drafts. So why not combine the two? Join Kevin Kaduk, Jake Flannigan, Cody Delmendo and Alex Campbell as they attempt to build the perfect mix of Chicago sports icons.  

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“I think tactically we’re going to stay with a 4-2-3-1,” Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson explained. “There will be some personnel change, which is necessary. But we’re just trying to get the team together, to be on the pitch for an extended period of time and for an extended period of games. We haven’t had a chance to sort of put the same lineup out on a consistent basis, and I think once we do that, with the final pieces that we just added, we’ll be better, because if you look at the games, we’re really close. We’re not getting beat 4-0, 5-0 every game. We’re very, very close.”

One change we might see is the addition of Jairo Torres to the starting lineup for the first time. After battling an injury after arriving here from Atlas FC a month ago, Hendrickson has been slowly ramping up Torres’ minutes each game. Saturday, we should finally see the Mexican Young Designated Player start, Hendrickson said.

“There’s a reason why we got him here,” Hendrickson told reporters. “We just haven’t been able to get him on the pitch for an extended period of time. But that will change. Hopefully after this game we’ve got a couple weeks to get him fully healthy where he’s playing every game for 90 minutes.”

Other Injury News

It’s kind of flown under the radar, but the Fire’s backup goalkeeper, Spencer Richey, has been absent the last several matches because of a concussion. Hendrickson said Richey has a few days left on his concussion protocol before he can return.

There’s also good news on team captain Rafael Czichos. He’s still “day-to-day” according to Hendrickson, but “we’re expecting him to be ready for Saturday,” Hendrickson said. If he can’t go for whatever reason, the international break should help Czichos reach full fitness.

Where’s Ivanov?

After starting on the right wing to begin the season, Stanislav Ivanov has dropped well down the depth chart of late. New additions Jairo Torres and Chris Mueller are partly to blame, as is Fabian Herbers recovering from injury.

“Right now we’re in a situation where we feel like we’re putting the best players that we have on the pitch,” Hendrickson said of Ivanov. “He had a bad run of form right before we got the additions, so that didn’t help his cause, but we want to play the guys who are performing, and that goes from what they do in training, also from what they do when they get their opportunities in games.”

Praise for Omsberg

Hendrickson was much higher on Wyatt Omsberg, who’s having a fantastic individual season despite the team’s struggles. Omsberg has played every minute for the Fire this season, which is a shock for a guy who has only been a bench guy for most of his pro career.

“He’s not used to playing this much in his career so far, so that’s something that physically he has to deal with because it’s a different beast when you’re a spot player to now being an every-day, every-week starter,” Hendrickson said of Omsberg. “We have to be careful that we don’t run him into the ground and find ways to give him rest, but as long as he keeps playing the way he’s playing, he’ll continue to play because we’re happy with what he’s been doing, how he’s been playing.”

In case you missed it, Omsberg joined us on the CHGO Fire Podcast this week, and he has thoughts on the team’s best golfer.

You can check out the entire interview here, or download it wherever you get your podcasts.