MATCH INFO |
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|---|---|
<strong>Matchup</strong> |
Chicago Fire (8-3-4, 28 pts.) at New England Revolution (5-5-5, 20 pts.) |
<strong>Date</strong> |
Saturday, June 17 • 6:30 p.m. CT |
<strong>Location</strong> |
Foxborough, Mass. • Gillette Stadium |
<strong>TV</strong> |
CSN Chicago |
<strong>Spanish Radio</strong> |
<a href="http://stream.uvneng.com/wrtoam-cf"><strong>Univision América 1200 (WRTO)</strong></a> |
<b>MLS Match Preview</b> |
<a href="https://www.chicago-fire.com/post/2017/06/16/new-england-revolution-vs-chicago-fire-2017-mls-match-preview"><b>Projected lineups, injuries, and more</b></a> |
Following a mid-week victory in their opening foray into the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the Chicago Fire resume their MLS campaign on Saturday with a trip to New England (6:30 pm, CSN Chicago) to take on the Revolution.
These two sides have met once already this season, a 3-0 victory for the Men In Red back in April. The Fire were able to capitalize on a first half Je-Vaughn Watson ejection and take full points on the day, but the tables turn this weekend in a replay on the Revs home turf. Ahead of this weekend's Eastern Conference clash, here are a few key facts, faces and figures to keep in mind:
Key number: 18
No need to dive too deep into the advanced numbers here. New England are a very good home side, and it's fairly plain to see. The Revs have netted 18 times at home this season, the third-highest home scoring total in MLS behind only Houston (24) and Chicago (19). They're additionally unbeaten at Gillette Stadium in seven games this season (5-0-2), and are coming off a 3-0 shelling of 2016 MLS Cup finalist and current East leaders Toronto in their last league outing. The Revolution play very well at home, and they'll look to give the Fire -- themselves unbeaten in four straight away in all comps -- a firm test on Saturday.
Matchup to watch: Dax McCarty vs. Lee Nguyen
McCarty made his return to the Fire starting XI in Wednesday's Open Cup win over St. Louis FC following his time with the U.S. Men's National Team during World Cup Qualifying. He figures to slot back into his deep-lying role in the central midfield as MLS play resumes, with New England's Lee Nguyen lined up across from him. Nguyen remains one of the league's premier chance creators and has bagged six goals and seven assists as the gas pedal in the Revolution attack. A red hot Fire defensive unit against a potent New England front four makes this matchup one worth watching.
One Big Question: Will lineup rotation be a factor?
Both sides played on Wednesday of this week in Open Cup action, as New England advanced to the tournament's Round of 16 alongside the Fire with a 3-0 victory over the Rochester Rhinos. Squad depth always becomes a key as the MLS season gets into its crowded summer months, particularly for clubs with Open Cup ambitions. Both mid-week lineups featured starting XI regulars alongside some up-and-comers, so both could be dealing with potential fatigue this weekend. Keep an eye on how both Veljko Paunovic and Jay Heaps opt to lineup in this one.
Quote of the Week:
"When we played against Atlanta, we that said for us it's payback. Now we believe that New England feels the same about us."
That's Paunovic referencing how his team felt before their recent replay against Atlanta -- a 2-0 win -- after a 4-0 back loss in March that followed an early Johan Kappelhof ejection. When the Fire last met New England, the aforementioned Watson red card forced the visitors down to 10 men, and the Fire cruised to a 3-0 victory as a result. How revenge factors into the New England gameplan come Saturday night remains to be seen.
Fire Field Vision powered by NovaCare:
From the media guide:
- The Fire hold a 24-21-11 all-time regular season record against the Revolution, including a 9-16-3 record in matches played on the road.
- The Men in Red are currently unbeaten in their last seven matches with a 5-0-2 record.
- In those seven matches, the Fire have conceded only four goals, with goalkeeper Matt Lampson recording a 0.57 goals against average en route to four shutouts.
