Sunday marks the 2019 home finale for the Chicago Fire as the Men In Red prepare to host Toronto FC (4 p.m. CT | ESPN+) in the penultimate match of the regular season. With four points standing between the Fire and the playoff line, head coach Veljko PaunoviÄ and the Men In Red will be eying victory against their Eastern Conference counterparts come kickoff.
As the opening whistle nears, get a look at today's starting XI and bench, presented by AT&T:
- Head coach Veljko PaunoviÄ begins with the same starting XI as last weekend's 0-0 road draw against FC Cincinnati.
- Forwards Nemanja NikoliÄ and CJ Sapong lead the line this afternoon, level in the team lead at 12 goals apiece. Both NikoliÄ and Sapong scored in the Fire's last match against Toronto, a 2-2 draw on the road on April 6.
- Kenneth Kronholm mans the Fire net in his 19th MLS appearance, fresh out of his second consecutive shutout in last weekend's 0-0 draw with FC Cincinnati.
- Defenders Jonathan Bornstein, Francisco Calvo, Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Johan Kappelhof will look to halt the Toronto attack along the Fire backline, having allowed just three goals across the Club's last five matches.
- Midfielder NicolĂĄs Gaitan leads the team with 11 assists and gets his 25th appearance of the season tonight.
- PrzemysĆaw Frankowski starts for the seventh-straight match, having scored in two of the Fire's last three matches.
- Captain Dax McCarty starts for the team-leading 31st time this season. McCarty's last season with 30+ starts came in 2015 as a member of the New York Red Bulls.
- Brandt Bronicowill partner McCarty in midfield with his career-high 19th start of the season.
- The Fire had zero players listed on the injury report entering the match. For the full MLS injury report, click here.
View the full Starting XI and bench for both sides in the graphics below as they're available:
