Chicago Fire vs. New York City FC
2017 MLS Regular Season
Toyota Park – Bridgeview, Ill.
Saturday, September 30 – 8:30 pm ET
WATCH: MLS LIVE in Canada
Don't look now, but it seems like the Fire have rediscovered the swagger – and the goalscoring touch – that drove them to the top of the Eastern Conference back in the spring and early summer. They're 3-1-1 in their last five, including an emphatic 4-1 demolition of the Quakes on Wednesday night in San Jose. All the stuff that went dormant in July and August seems to be clicking again, and they're on track to, at the very least, get a home game in the Knockout Round of the playoffs.
If they beat NYCFC on Saturday, it could end up being not just a home game in the Knockout Round, but perhaps a bye. The Cityzens kept their second-place spot in the East thanks to a gritty 1-0 win at Montreal on Wednesday and are finally getting healthy after about a month-and-a-half of constant injuries. They're not yet clicking like they were earlier in the year, but with the vast majority of their big-name players back and healthy, it feels like only a matter of time before they start looking like an irresistible two-way force again.
Chicago Fire
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: M Bastian Schweinsteiger
- Int’l Duty: None
- Injury Report: OUT: M - John Goossens (right ankle surgery 3/4, out 5-6 months), GK - Jorge Bava (left elbow surgery), M - Daniel Johnson (left MCL injury), D - Christian Dean (fifth metatarsal fracture 8/26, out 2-3 months), M - Juninho (left knee injury); QUESTIONABLE: D - Patrick Doody (left hamstring injury), M - Bastian Schweinsteiger (right thigh injury)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, left to right)
GK: Matt Lampson — Matt Polster, Johan Kappelhof, Joao Meira, Brandon Vincent — Dax McCarty, Bastian Schweinsteiger — David Accam, Michael De Leeuw, Luis Solignac — Nemanja Nikolic
Notes: Wednesday's win against San Jose clinched a playoff berth for Chicago, their first playoff appearance since 2012 ... Nemanja Nikolic's two goals on Wednesday gave him 20 goals in 2017. He now holds the club's all-time single-season scoring record, breaking the 18-goal mark previously held by Ante Razov.
New York City FC
- Suspended: None
- Suspended after next caution: M Maxi Moralez, M Alex Ring
- Int’l Duty: None
- Injury Report: OUT: M - Miguel Camargo (non-displaced hip fracture 7/20, out 3 months), D - Maxime Chanot (hernia surgery 8/21, out 6-8 weeks)
Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, left to right):
GK: Sean Johnson — Ethan White, Frederic Brillant, Alex Callens, Ben Sweat — Alex Ring, Yangel Herrera, Maxi Moralez — Jack Harrison, David Villa, Rodney Wallace
Notes: New York City are unbeaten in their last five league matches against Chicago. In those matches, NYCFC have averaged 2.4 goals per game ... Jack Harrison has completed 51 dribbles this season, the most of any player in a single-season in NYCFC history.
All-Time Series
- Overall: Chicago 1 win (8 goals) … NYCFC 3 wins (12 goals) … Ties 2
- At Chicago: Chicago 1 wins (4 goals) … NYCFC 1 win (4 goals) … Ties 0
Referees
Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero
Assistant Referees: Andrew Bigelow, Brian Poeschel
Fourth Official: Mark Kadlecik
Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Chris Penso
