The Chicago Fire head to the west coast on Saturday night as they take on the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place.
Chicago has potentially turned things around as of late. They come into this contest on a two-match winning run, and they’ve won four out of their last seven. Those results have put them right back in the playoff picture, and the Fire now have a bit of momentum behind them for the first time in months. There’s still a lot of work left to be done, though, and that starts with a tough road test here.
Vancouver, meanwhile, has cooled off after a run of their own. They were superb in the months of May and June, and a win against MLS powerhouse LAFC to start July seemed to be a real signal of intent. However, they’ve struggled since, losing to Minnesota United at home before tying their next two games. The Whitecaps are still on the up, to be fair, and a win here would put them right back on track.
Team news
Both teams are going to be dealing with a number of absences for this contest.
Sebastian Berhalter and Deiber Caicedo are out for Vancouver, along with the trio of Erik Godoy, Cristian Gutierrez, and Luis Martin, who are all dealing with left calf strains.
Chicago, on the other hand, will be without players like Jhon Espinoza, Gastón Giménez, Stanislav Ivanov, Wyatt Omsberg, and Kacper Przybyłko, while Jairo Torres is a doubt due to health and safety protocols.
Predicted lineups
Vancouver Whitecaps: Boehmer, Nerwinski, Veselinović, Blackmon, Dájome, Teibert, Cubas, Raposo, White, Gauld, Cavallini
Chicago Fire: Slonina, Sekulić, Terán, Czichos, Bornstein, F. Navarro, Pineda, Torres, Shaqiri, Mueller, Durán
Ones to watch
Lucas Cavallini
Vancouver is a team that tends to fly under the radar, and the same could be said for most of their players. Maybe it’s because the club plays north of the border, or maybe it’s because they’ve never been an elite side. Either way, the only real notable player to play for the team recently has been Alphonso Davies.
That’s why there’s not been much of a focus on Lucas Cavallini. After a strong few seasons in Liga MX, the striker was brought in to be a Designated Player for the Whitecaps at the end of 2019. The move made sense, as he was an established Canadian international, and the signing allowed him to somewhat return home.
His debut season was a promising one since he scored six goals in 18 games, but the #9 followed that up with just three in his next campaign. There were concerns that he was turning into another disappointing DP, but a good chunk of those fears have somewhat subsided this year.
Cavallini already has six goals to his name, and he’s missed a few matches as well. He really heated up during the start of the summer, finding the back of the net in four straight appearances. He’s cooled off since, but there’s always a chance that he can kick back into gear at any moment.
An old-school sort of center forward, the Canadian uses his build to great effect. He’s not the tallest player at 5’9”, but he’s really stocky, which is what makes him stand out. Physically strong, he’s able to get on the end of crosses in the area, whether they’re in the air or on the ground. When he has to shoot he does so with plenty of power, sending the ball flying into the back of the net.
This weekend will be a challenge thanks to the Fire’s stingy defense, but Cavallini might just be able to break his goalscoring duct when all is said and done.
Xherdan Shaqiri
We all know how bad Chicago usually is on the road.
They could be flying high as a kite, and everyone could be playing well going into an away game. However, when that game does come, those players almost always disappear into the shadows, leading to a loss. It’s like clockwork. It’s seemingly inevitable.
That’s exactly why the Fire are going to need someone to provide a moment of magic. To expect a total team effort would be too much, but hoping at least one player can drop a masterclass is certainly a more realistic ask.
Who better to do just that than Xherdan Shaqiri?
As mentioned time and time again before, the Designated Player just hasn’t been at his best this season. Injuries haven’t helped, to be fair, as it’s unclear when was the last time he was even fully fit. However, there has to be a point where he rises above those issues, or the occasional lack of help from his teammates. He just has to.
There was so much hype surrounding his signing at the start of the season. Chicago’s fanbase couldn’t hide their excitement, and they felt like they had picked up an absolute star. The rest of the league took notice, with many calling the Swiss captain one of MLS’s best right off the bat.
Despite being the league’s top earner, Shaqiri only has three goals and two assists to his name, with just one of those goals coming from the run of play. It’s not a return worthy of his incredible talent, and his lack of output has hurt the Fire.
All of that could be rendered useless soon, though. It only takes a moment for the attacker to get going, and what better time to do so than this weekend when his team will need him most.
Big time players make big time plays, and Shaqiri is certainly a player built for the big time. Now he has to prove it.
Last time out
For the third time this season, Chicago is facing a side they haven’t seen since the 2020 #MLSisBack tournament.
The final game in the two team’s group, the Fire were the better side for most of proceedings. They created chance after chance, but they just couldn’t convert any of them.
That would cost them, as Vancouver were the ones who ultimately opened the scoring past the hour mark. It was all too easy, as one pass from Ali Adnan played Yordy Reyna through on goal, and he rounded the goalkeeper before passing the ball into the back of an empty net.
Instead of bouncing back, Chicago collapsed, giving up another about five minutes later. Reyna turned from scorer to provider, slipping Cristian Dájome in behind the backline. He made no mistake with the finish, slotting the ball through the legs of the keeper to double the Whitecaps’ advantage.
CJ Sapong seemed to have pulled one back late on, but his goal was ruled out thanks to VAR since the ball bounced off of his arm before going in.
In the end, Vancouver held on to the result that booked them a spot in the next round, while Chicago were forced to finish in last place once again.
How to watch
The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. PDT, and it will air live on TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, TSN.ca, and the TSN App for fans in Vancouver and on WGN TV and chicagofirefc.com for fans in Chicago. Those in the United States who aren’t in Chicago will be able to watch the action unfold on ESPN+.