Following a loss in Houston last Sunday that all but ended the Fire’s playoff hopes, the Men in Red must pick themselves up for a tough week. First is a Thursday night clash in Philadelphia against a Union team fighting to get back above the red line.
Here are a few things to look out for on Thursday evening.
Replacing Sebastien Le Toux – what will the Union look like if their talisman is out on Thursday?
When Sebastien Le Toux went down on Saturday afternoon against D.C. United, the look of concern interim coach Jimmy Curtin’s face told it all. Le Toux has been one of the Union’s most consistent players this season and luckily for him and Curtin, his injury isn’t as serious as it first looked.
Curtin wouldn’t give away much in his press conference but I would venture to guess that Le Toux will sit out on Thursday, or at least start on the bench. With that being said, I think the most obvious replacement for the Frenchman is Danny Cruz who is very comfortable playing out wide and has played in the majority of matches this season.
Like Le Toux, Cruz likes to get behind the defense and put balls into the box. Though Le Toux is much more effective in and around the box, (he leads the Union with 12 goals) and the Union will certainly miss his presence if can’t go on Thursday, Cruz’s ability to find players like Conor Casey with crosses will be very important.
Against the Dynamo last week, the Fire again gave too much space to players out wide which resulted in Houston scoring two goals. Whether it is Cruz or Le Toux in the lineup on Thursday, the Fire outside backs need to try and shut down as many crosses as possible.
Following DC’s lead – keeping Philly to shots from outside the box
One of the most remarkable things about D.C.’s huge win against the Union last weekend, was the way United played so well defensively that the Philly was forced into taking so many shots from outside the box, scoring none.
D.C. frustrated the Union by shutting down the wings and forcing Philly inside, where the only resort was to try and test Bill Hamid from long range. In total, the Union attempted a whopping ten shots from outside the box, only managing to get one of those on target.
On the one shot the Union did manage to get on target, Hamid was not able to handle it properly and it nearly resulted in the equalizing goal. The Fire defenders and Sean Johnson must not allow the Union to pick up any scraps on rebounds if shots do come in from outside the box on Thursday.
With the return of Lovel Palmer from suspension, I expect to see the Jamaican back in the starting eleven on Thursday night which could mean we see Logan Pause get a start in the center of midfield. The injury to Razvan Cocis combined with the fact the team will be playing two games in four days makes this move seem more plausible.
Logan’s ability to read the game and intercept passes will be very important, especially if the Fire manage to force the Union to attack down the middle.
5 vs 4 – how many attacking players will we see on the field for the Fire to start on Thursday?
Against the Dynamo, the Fire decided to play a very attacking lineup from the start, playing with 5 offensive-minded players: Amarikwa, Cocis, Earnshaw, Shipp and Sinama-Pongolle. That didn’t change very much after the Cocis injury, when we saw Patrick Nyarko come on for the Romanian.
Though the Fire did create chances with this many attacking players on the field, the Men in Red were also left exposed, especially on the counter attack when players failed to track back. Against the Union, I expect the Fire to put out a more disciplined XI, perhaps playing with a more defensively conscious attacking player such as Alex in place of one of the out and out strikers who started last weekend.
In fact, a central midfield tandem of Alex and Logan Pause could work very well, especially due to the fact that the Men in Red will have to deal with the creativity and movement of Cristián Maidana. With players like Quincy Amarikwa on the field, the Fire will always be able to create chances, but not allowing Maidana to run the show will also be key.
Prediction: The Fire stop the Union from getting too much closer to a playoff position and pick up a point before Sunday’s clash against Montreal – 1-1 with the Fire goal coming from Harry Shipp.
