Match Storylines: Fire visit Real Salt Lake for first time since 2013

Coming off a 2-2 draw at home last weekend, the Fire go back on the road and shift focus to a Western Conference test in Utah against Real Salt Lake Saturday night. Coverage of the match begins at 8:30 p.m. CT on CSN Chicago with kickoff immediately following at 9 p.m. RSL has been a tough shell to crack at home this season, but the Fire will be looking to walk away with their first road win of 2016 and build momentum ahead of Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup semifinal in New England. Get caught up on everything in play on Saturday with our match storylines below:

Keeping the rotation
As has been a theme for most of the last six weeks, Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic will again have to keep an eye on his players’ minutes as the weekend approaches. By the time the team’s match concludes in Sandy late Saturday night, they’ll pivot immediately into preparing for the trip to New England. Paunovic has made no secret that this year’s Open Cup tournament is a priority for the Fire and notably managed playing shifts around his club's quarterfinal win over Fort Lauderdale. 

Combine that emphasis with playing at altitude Saturday (Sandy, Utah sits roughly 4,000 feet higher above sea level than Chicago), as well as the Chicago-Utah-New England travel schedule, and the head coach certainly will have personnel decisions to make this weekend. The introduction of Luis Solignac could mean Michael de Leeuw is kept in reserve for Tuesday's semifinal, while Khaly Thiam's suspension for Saturday's match will keep him fresh to face the Revs.

“It’s all about the team,” said goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who, prior to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal, gave way to Matt Lampson at FC Dallas to allow Lampson some fine-tuning for cup play. “We’re looking to win a championship. A championship doesn’t involve just one player. We’ve got to be conscious of that. It’s all about the team when we step out onto the pitch.”

RSL unbeaten at home
Walking away with three points Saturday will require a feat no other visiting team has accomplished in MLS this season: win in Rio Tinto Stadium. RSL holds a 5-0-5 record in Utah through 10 home matches this season, and while that’s notable, their current home form leaves a bit to be desired. Jeff Cassar's side has drawn four straight matches in Utah and have scored just three goals in that same span. The Fire haven’t traveled to Salt Lake since 2013, a match that played to a 1-1 draw, and are 1-1-2 in matches at "the RioT" since 2009. Chicago owns a slight edge in the all-time series, holding a 6-5-7 record against Salt Lake since 2005.

Second half surge
Keep an eye on RSL’s adjustments after halftime on Saturday night. In the final 45 minutes of games this season, RSL has bagged 23 of their 32 total goals in 2016, the second-most second-half goals scored in MLS to date this season. Forward Yura Movsisyan leads Real Salt Lake’s scoring efforts with seven goals this season, but game-changing wingers Joao Plata and Juan Manuel Martinez are right behind him with six of their own. On the flip side, Salt Lake could have used some of that magic in their most recent MLS match. Jeff Cassar’s men were undone by a lone second half goal Wednesday in Toronto. A 68th-minute Tosaint Ricketts tally clinched a 1-0 win and three points for Toronto FC in their midweek matchup at BMO field.

Allowing the first goal
Should they come by one, the Fire won’t be able to rest on an early goal scored on Saturday night. RSL has the most wins of any team in MLS this season after conceding the first goal of the game, with five so far to their credit. Additionally, their .500 winning percentage (5-5-2) after allowing the opener is the second-best figure in the league besides the LA Galaxy’s .556 (3-2-4). With a roster that includes MLS veterans like Nick Rimando -- who stands one win shy of breaking the all-time MLS record for victories by a goalkeeper -- and midfielders Kyle Beckerman and Javier Martinez, Salt Lake’s ability to keep their composure when trailing is something of which the Fire will have to be aware.

“Salt Lake is a strong team, especially at home,” midfielder Arturo Alvarez said. “They have their core, their backbone of the midfield with Beckerman and Morales who have been in the league and played so well together for a very long time. We’ve got to make sure we stay on top of that, we focus on that. At the same time, they have good individual players. Plata, they’ve got Martinez, so it’s going to be a difficult game. We’ve just got to go in there with the confidence of playing against a good team and beating them.”

Field usage
One dynamic in play on Saturday night will be the battle over control of the center of the pitch. Of the entirety of the MLS, Chicago (24%) and Salt Lake (22%) both occupy bottom-four rankings in middle-of-the-field usage compared to the left and right wings (via WhoScored.com). Contributing factors to the Fire’s preference for playing wide have been the rotation of players like John Goossens, Alvarez and Razvan Cocis in the central midfield, as well the simple presence of winger David Accam on the team’s left side.

Salt Lake, alternatively, lead MLS in attack usage down the left side of the field, leaning heavily on the creative play of winger Joao Plata, who has six goals and seven assists to his credit this season. A staggering 42% of the team’s forays into attack are funneled down Plata’s side. Whether it’s Rodrigo Ramos,Michael Harrington, or another Fire defender, controlling possession on the flanks is likely to play a role in Saturday’s outcome.