Chicago prepares for a clash against Midwestern foe Columbus Crew on Wednesday night at Lower.com Field in what is the team’s second-straight game on the road and second match in four days.
Following a scoreless draw against CF Montréal on Saturday evening, the Fire find themselves two points out of the final playoff spot with six matches remaining in the regular season. Wednesday’s matchup marks Chicago’s 75th all-time regular season meeting with the Crew, with the Fire holding a 27-24-23 record against their longtime rival.Â
The midweek contest also marks the second and final time the two sides will meet in the 2023 regular season, with Columbus previously defeating Chicago 2-1 on July 10 at Soldier Field. The match saw Designated Player Xherdan Shaqiri score his first goal of the 2023 season, before a late goal from the Crew lifted the Ohio-based side to three points over Chicago. Â
Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The match will also be transmitted locally in English on wlsam.com and in Spanish on TUDN 1200 AM.
Learn more about tonight’s starters in the lineup notes below:
- Head Coach Frank Klopas made three changes to the lineup that faced CF Montréal on Saturday night at Stade Saputo.
- Goalkeeper Chris Brady makes his 25th start of the 2023 MLS regular season and his 27th start overall in 2023. Brady was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 32 following his performance in the scoreless tie against Montréal, in which he earned a career-high seventh regular season shutout.
- The backline will be led by captain Rafael Czichos and is unchanged from the defensive unit that earned the shutout against CF Montréal: Czichos, Mauricio Pineda, Arnaud Souquet and Alonso Aceves.
- It’s Czichos’s 25th regular season start and 29th start overall in 2023, while Souquet and Aceves start together for a third-straight match. The versatile Pineda makes his 17th regular season start in his 23rd regular season appearance for the Fire, during which he has played as both a midfielder and a defender.
- Oustmane Doumbia and Gastón Giménez line up together in the midfield for the second-straight match, and the third time overall. Joining them in the middle of the park are Designated Players Xherdan Shaqiri and Jairo Torres, who have both returned from national team duty, and winger Maren Haile-Selassie.
- Greek forward Georgios Koutsias leads the attack from the outset for the ninth time in the 2023 MLS regular season and 10th time overall in 2023.Â
- Available off the bench for Klopas are goalkeeper Spencer Richey, defenders Carlos Terán, Jonathan Dean, Miguel Navarro and Wyat Omsberg, midfielders Fabian Herbers and Brian Gutiérrez, and forwards Kei Kamara and Kacper Przybyłko.
- Midfielders Javier Casas (right lower leg), Chris Mueller (right upper leg) and Federico Navarro (left upper leg), and forward Victor Bezerra (right lower leg) will not be available for tonight’s match.
See Columbus’s lineup below as it becomes available:
