COLUMBUS CREW SC vs. CHICAGO FIRE
MAPFRE Stadium | Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, Oct. 1| Week #30| MLS Game #310
7:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE, CSN-Chicago, TWCSC-OH, CW Columbus)
A pair of clubs on the wrong side of the red line with little time remaining meet when Columbus Crew SC play host to the Chicago Fire on Saturday evening at Mapfre Stadium. Crew SC saw their two-game winning run put to an end at midweek in a 3-0 loss at D.C. United, leaving them desperately clinging to their playoff hopes, eight points below the red line. The Fire continue their three-game road swing after officially being eliminated from playoff consideration, in a 1-0 loss at Seattle Sounders FC, also at midweek
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- Arturo Alvarez collected an assist for a second consecutive game in the Fire’s 4-1 defeat at New York City FC last Friday evening, their second consecutive road loss, in the opener of a three-game road swing that concludes with the Columbus game.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. They played a scoreless draw March 19 at Toyota Park.
- Crew SC haven’t lost to the Fire in the last seven meetings in the series. The last Fire victory was a 2-1 win in Columbus, June 22, 2013; Crew SC have won four of the meetings, with three draws.
- Crew SC have come away with points in the last four home encounters with the Fire, winning three. The Crew SC victory last year at Toyota Park was their first in Bridgeview since the 2006 season. The Fire had gone 6-0-5 in the 11 meetings in between.
REFEREE: Alejandro Mariscal. AR1 (bench): C.J. Morgante; AR2 (opposite): Adam Garner; 4th: Baldomero Toledo
MLS Career: 2 games; FC/gm: 19.5; Y/gm: 3.0; R: 2; pens: 0
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Tony Tchani … CHI: David Accam, Joao Meira, Razvan Cocis
DISABLED LIST: CLB: Matt Pacifici, Ben Swanson (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (56 meetings): Crew SC 16 wins (0 shootout), 82 goals … Fire 24 wins (1 shootout), 81 goals … Ties 16
AT COLUMBUS (27 meetings): Crew SC 10 wins (0 shootout), 48 goals … Fire 10 wins (1 shootout), 37 goals … Ties 7
FUTURE MATCH: 10/13: Chicago Fire vs. Columbus Crew SC, 7:30 p.m. CT
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. They reached a scoreless draw March 19 at Toyota Park.
- Crew SC haven’t lost to the Fire in the last seven meetings in the series. The last Fire victory was a 2-1 win in Columbus, June 22, 2013; Crew SC have won four of the meetings, with three draws.
- Crew SC have come away with points in the last four home encounters with the Fire, winning three. The Crew SC victory last year at Toyota Park was their first in Bridgeview since the 2006 season. The Fire had gone 6-0-5 in the 11 meetings in between.
- Coaches record: Veljko Paunovic vs. CLB: P1 W0 L0 T1 … Gregg Berhalter vs. CHI: P5 W3 L0 T3
LAST MEETING (MLS):
3/19: CHI 0, CLB 0
- Fire goalkeeper Matt Lampson was called upon to make four saves, the best in the 69th minute when Ethan Finlay ripped a shot from distance, forcing him to parry it away.
- Crew SC goalkeeper Steve Clark was credited with one save in keeping the clean sheet.
- CHICAGO FIRE (3-4-2-1): Matt Lampson - Joao Meira, Jonathan Campbell, Johan Kappelhof - Rodrigo Ramos, Matt Polster, John Goossens (Michael Stephens 46), Brandon Vincent - Arturo Alvarez (Joey Calistri 90), Kennedy Igboananike (Nick LaBrocca 60) – Gilberto.
- COLUMBUS CREW SC (4-2-3-1): Steve Clark - Harrison Afful, Michael Parkhurst, Gaston Sauro, Waylon Francis - Wil Trapp, Tony Tchani - Ethan Finlay (Emil Larsen 87), Federico Higuain, Justin Meram (Cedrick Mabwati 73) - Kei Kamara.
