After trading home victories in their inaugural 2017 matchups, the Chicago Fire and Atlanta United FC meet again Saturday night at Toyota Park (7:30 PM, ESPN+, TICKETS) both looking to build upon positive recent results. Check out some of the most notable storylines entering the Eastern Conference clash:
Streaking
Atlanta United will arrive in Bridgeview as one of Major League Soccer's hottest teams, going 6-0-1 after a surprising 4-0 opening day road defeat in Houston. Last week, Atlanta showed its ability to break through a defensive-minded Montreal side, scoring four times after the 70th minute to overcome a 1-0 deficit and take all three points against the Impact. The 2018 edition of Atlanta United leads all of MLS with 21 goals scored through eight games played, with star attackers Miguel Almirón and Josef Martinez tied as team and league-leaders with six goals apiece.
Building
The Men In Red have begun picking up critical points of their own both at home and on the road, with a 2-1-2 mark in their last five outings and two big road results under their belt. The Fire fielded the same starting XI in both a 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls on April 21 and last week's eventful 2-2 draw at Toronto FC, but it remains to be seen whether Veljko Paunović will make it three in a row come Saturday. If so, it would be the central spine of Dax McCarty, Mo Adams, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Grant Lillard and Johan Kappelhof that's tasked with minimizing space and time on the ball for the likes of Almirón, Martinez and prized offseason acquisition Ezequiel Barco.
Styles
Atlanta United's frenetic attacking pace has caused more than a few headaches for opposing defenses and resulted in a league-leading five penalty kick goals at this early stage of the season for the Five Stripes (no other team has more than three). Via WhoScored.com, both the Fire and Atlanta have recorded four set-piece goals in 2018 -- including Bastian Schweinsteiger's header last Saturday in Toronto and a pair of beautifully taken free kicks on Saturday by Atlanta's Kevin Kratz. The ability of both defenses to be clean in 1v1 situations and avoid fouls in and around the penalty areas could greatly help the causes of goalkeepers at each end -- Richard Sánchez for the Fire and Brad Guzan for Atlanta.
Pace-Setters
Reigning MLS Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolić has remained in the league's lead pack of goal-scorers, bagging five in seven starts this season. Nikolić -- who has started every one of the Fire's 41 MLS matches since his arrival at the start of 2017 -- has not gone back-to-back regular-season games without a goal since Aug. 26 and Sept. 2 of last year. After seeing teammates Bastian Schweinsteiger and Alan Gordon get on the scoresheet in Toronto, Nikolić will surely be returning to his home turf looking to find career MLS goal number 30 on Saturday night.
Familiar Faces
There's no shortage of Fire connections throughout the Atlanta United roster and technical staff, starting at the top with VP and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra, who began his illustrious pro playing career with the Fire. Bocanegra played 122 total games over four seasons (2000-03) with the Men In Red and has been at the forefront of the club's roster-building over their introduction to MLS. On the pitch, former Fire captain Jeff Larentowicz (2013-15) remains a mainstay in midfield, while Chicagoland native, U.S. international and former Fire PDL player Brad Guzan has taken the reins as the club's No. 1 goalkeeper. The 33-year-old Guzan has played only one other MLS match at Toyota Park, a 1-0 win for Guzan while in net for Chivas USA back on June 9, 2007.
Staying within the goalkeeping group, Atlanta's Alec Kann was a member of the Fire from 2013-15, while current Five Stripes GK coach Aron Hyde served in the same role in Chicago from 2009-15.
