Slowing down the former Fire players – stopping Mapp and Duka from dictating the play
Two former Fire wingers, Dilly Duka and Justin Mapp, look set to line up against the Fire on Sunday and will be keen to hurt their former club. Mapp is returning from an injury but has been a consistent bright spot for the Canadian club since his move there.
Duka impressed in the Impact’s last match: a 2-0 loss to Columbus. Both players play wide behind a striker in Montreal’s formation and, along with Filipe, are responsible for creating chances. Additionally, both players are comfortable running at the defense as well as putting crosses in to Jack McInerney in the middle.
In the Columbus game last week, Duka was able to get behind the Crew defense on a few occasions and cause problems. The Fire full backs must not allow the same thing to happen on Sunday afternoon.
If Alex again starts at left back for the Fire, I expect Frank Klopas’ men to target him. Alex didn’t look entirely comfortable in his first match in playing in the position on Thursday and was beaten a couple of times by the Union attackers. Whether it is Alex or Segares starting on Sunday, the Fire full backs must try and limit Mapp and Duka’s ability to create.
Targeting the Impact outside backs – putting pressure on Gagnon-Laparé and Camara
Just as I expect the Impact to try and target the Fire outside backs, I believe a major weakness in the Montreal team is their outside defenders, Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé and Hassoun Camara.
Gagnon- Laparé is only 19 and has only played in four MLS matches. He didn’t look too comfortable in last weekend’s match against the Crew, especially when Higuain, Finlay and Meram got into 1v1 situations with the homegrown defender. Both Columbus goals were due to mistakes made by the Canadian.
On the other the other side of the pitch Camara also didn’t cover himself in glory against the Crew. I expect Quincy Amarikwa to look to get behind the outside backs, as he’s tried to do all season. In the first half especially against the Union on Thursday, we saw some excellent creative play between Shipp, Ward and Amarikwa and more of that one touch play around the box could open up the Impact.
While Mapp and Duka are great in the attack, Duka is especially guilty of not tracking back to help his defense. This was a constant criticism from fans during his time in Chicago. With the lack of cover from the wingers, if the Fire can get Lovel Palmer and Segares/Alex forward, the Fire could really hurt the Impact. Palmer looked very dangerous in the first half especially against Philadelphia and more of the same could make the difference on Sunday.
Center midfield combo – will we see Larentowicz and Pause together again or a different partnership?
On Thursday night, Logan Pause and Jeff Larentowicz started together in midfield – a rarity in the Frank Yallop era. Both players had an excellent game and worked well together. With Pause sitting a little deeper, Larentowicz was able to get forward and help Shipp and co. in the attack.
I expect both to continue in midfield against the Impact, especially because the Canadians play with three attacking midfielders behind McInerney.
Both Pause and Larentowicz were able to cut out a number of passes against the Union. Philly were limited to on a few clear chances thanks in no small part to the brilliant defensive work of from the duo.
Felipe is probably the most dangerous player for the Impact and the best chance for the Fire to neutralize him would be to start both Pause and Larentowicz again. The performance by Pause on Thursday indicated that he could certainly play a role for the Fire next season, if he decided to change his mind about retirement. Either way, I expect we will see the 12-year club veteran get a lot of minutes in the final matches of the season.
With players like Shipp, Nyassi and Amarikwa on the pitch, the Fire have the ability to create a number of chances, so starting to more “defensive minded” players in the middle should not hinder the team’s attacking capabilities.
Prediction: The Fire get a much-needed win: 2-0 with goals from Shipp and Amarikwa
