After a string of three road matches that brought them north to Canada and both U.S. coasts, the Chicago Fire (3-3-3, 12 points) are back home at Toyota Park Saturday for another tough test, hosting defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC (2-3-4, 10 points). The match kicks off at 8 p.m. CT and will be televised live to a national audience on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes (TICKETS).
Chicago will enter the weekend above the red line in the Eastern Conference, one point in front of Atlanta United FC and D.C. United for the sixth and final playoff position, but eager to secure a full three points after a bittersweet draw at LA Galaxy on Saturday.
Below is a look at a few of the storylines heading into the primetime matchup:
Accam, Nikolic Drive Fire Attack
It’s little secret who the Men In Red have turned to when in need of an offensive jolt in recent weeks: Designated Players David Accam and Nemanja Nikolic. Last week in LA, the two combined to set up Chicago’s early penalty kick chance, which Accam stepped up to score for his 27th goal in all competitions during his two-plus seasons with the Fire. Nikolic then found net only minutes later, his fifth goal in his last five games and his sixth of the year, putting him one off the MLS early-season leaders.
No Place Like Home?
After securing only one point from their challenging trio of matches away from home, the Fire will rely on their consistent home form to mount their next charge up the Eastern Conference table. Chicago is 3-0-1 at Toyota Park this season and has lost only once in its last 17 home matches dating to last season -- good news for a team that will play three of the next four and six of the next nine on its own ground. On the flip side, Seattle is coming off its first home loss in MLS since head coach Brian Schmetzer took the reins last season, and now must look to keep pace in the West with road results at Chicago and midweek at Sporting KC. To be sure, their 3-0 road blanking of the LA Galaxy proved Seattle fully capable of thriving away from CenturyLink Field.
Names We Know
In addition to the highly regarded attacking trio of Clint Dempsey, Jordan Morris and Nicolás Lodeiro, the Sounders also arrive in town with three former Men In Red in the squad. Chicago Fire Homegrown product and Lake Forest, Ill. native Harry Shipp now plies his trade for the club against which he memorably scored a brace at Toyota Park as a rookie in 2014, having joined them from Montreal in the offseason. His one-time Fire teammate, Joevin Jones, has found a home at left back for the Sounders following his trade from Chicago in January, 2016, while Álvaro Fernández is also a contributor after spending a portion of the 2012 campaign with the Fire.
College Reunion
Saturday's matchup brings together two ultra-successful former college teammates in Chicago defender Brandon Vincent and Seattle and U.S. Men's National Team forward Jordan Morris. The two were leading players in Stanford's run to the 2015 NCAA national championship (the first of back-to-back titles for the Cardinal, as it played out) and no doubt had plenty of battles in training that may or may not pay dividends come Saturday night.
Series Stats
The Men In Red will be seeking their second-ever victory against Seattle since that club’s entrance to MLS in 2009, with the previous win coming in the Sounders’ most recent visit to Toyota Park (July 11, 2015). Last year’s meeting at CenturyLink Field, a 1-0 Sounders win, came in the midst of Seattle’s late-season charge toward the playoffs and, eventually, their first MLS Cup. Seattle has won seven times against Chicago, with three draws.
