New York City FC vs. Chicago Fire FC | 2020 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

2020 MLS Regular Season – Week 8
New York City FC vs. Chicago Fire FC
Red Bull Arena – Harrison
August 29 – 7:30 PM ET

STREAMING: MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada

LOCAL TV: YES, WGN-TV

New York City FC and Chicago Fire FC square off at Red Bull Arena Saturday night after impressive home opening wins in the midweek.

NYCFC handed Columbus Crew SC their first defeat of the season in their "home opener" at RBA, which will serve as the Cityzens home for the foreseeable future. Chicago, meanwhile, celebrated an emphatic 3-0 win over FC Cincinnati in their return to Soldier Field.

NYCFC have won all four of their games against Chicago at Yankee Stadium, including 1-0 last April on a 9th-minute goal by Taty Castellanos.

New York City FC

A team meeting that followed a derby defeat to the New York Red Bulls was the spark needed for NYCFC to pull out a throwback performance in a 1-0 win over Columbus. Embattled captain Alex Ring scored the lone goal off a defensive gaffe. NYCFC's second regular season win could be what galvanizes the team going forward.

"They just showed what is into this team, how much quality there is and how good we can be when we are at our best," first-year coach Ronny Deila said. "It’s a long way to go, but I think this was a big, big momentum for us. It felt really good afterward because of the way we did it."

Updated team roster
Injury Report:
- OUT: Sebastien Ibeagha (D) - hamstring injury
- OUT: Gedion Zelalem (M) - knee injury
- QUESTIONABLE: Maxi Moralez (M) - calf injury
- QUESTIONABLE: Ismael Tajouri-Shradi (M) - hamstring injury
Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution:None
International duty: None

Chicago Fire FC

Inside of 10 minutes in their return to Soldier Field, Chicago had a two-goal lead and cruised to a 3-0 victory over FC Cincinnati Wednesday night. Fabian Herbers scored the first MLS goal at Soldier Field in 15 years, followed by goals by Alvaro Medran and Ignacio Aliseda. For Medran, its just the beginning of a partnership with Gaston Gimenez.

"We like to keep possession, so being able to speak the same language helps a lot," the Spaniard said of his Argentine-Paraguayan teammate, through an interpreter. "We also are players that need games to get going, get the rhythm going. And I think that with the passage of time, we’ll be able to hit our rhythm and keep getting better and playing better soccer."

Updated team roster
Injury Report:
- OUT: Jeremiah Gutjahr (M) - knee injury
- OUT: Johan Kappelhof (D) - hip flexor
- OUT: Kenneth Kronholm (GK) - knee injury
- OUT: Luka Stojanović (M) - knee injury
Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: Fabian Herbers (M)
International duty: None