Two Eastern Conference sides pushing for the playoffs face off on Saturday afternoon as Charlotte FC hosts the Chicago Fire at the Bank of America Stadium.
Charlotte did have a game during the week, and it was a wonderful one for them and their supporters as they thumped D.C. United 3-0 at home. An own-goal from the opposition put them in front early on, and then two goals in the span of three minutes midway through the second half all but secured the win for the Crowns. They’ve had a remarkable season considering what was expected of them, but they know the job’s not finished yet. They want to make the postseason.
Chicago’s last match came at the weekend, and it did not go as well. They weren’t beaten, to be fair, as they drew Atlanta United 0-0. However, the result did end their winning run, and there’s an argument to be made that they let a big opportunity pass them by. Now they’ll be on the road, and even though the Fire did win their last away game, they've historically been awful on their travels.
All in all, this contest is a real six-pointer, which should make it a fun one.
Team news
Charlotte will be without a few players for the contest, as Vinicius Mello and Adam Armour are injured, while Kerwin Vargas is suspended.
It’s a similar story for Chicago, with Jhon Espinoza, Stanislav Ivanov, Wyatt Omsberg, and Carlos Terán all listed as unavailable for selection.
Predicted lineups
Charlotte FC: Kahlina, Afful, Corujo, Walkes, Mora, Bronico, McNeill, Bender, Gaines, Świderski, Reyna
Chicago Fire: Slonina, Sekulić, Pineda, Czichos, M.Navarro, F. Navarro, Giménez, Torres, Shaqiri, Mueller, Durán
Ones to watch
Karol Świderski
The first ever Designated Player in Charlotte history, Karol Świderski has been a pretty solid signing so far.
Brought in from Greek side PAOK in the offseason, Świderski made a dream start to life in MLS. He scored a brace on his third and fourth appearances, and it was looking like he was going to be the league’s newest star import.
However, a cold streak soon followed, as the forward went 14 games without a goal. You would think this completely derailed his team. It did not, though, and the the Crowns kind of just kept chugging along. He stayed in the lineup throughout, proving that his impact on games goes beyond the scoresheet.
Świderski has been back amongst the goals recently, which has been good to see. He has two goals and an assist in his last four games, and he found the back of the net in Charlotte’s most recent contest. It seems like he’s regained the form he had to start the year, which is good news for his side, and bad news for everyone else.
He’ll have a tough test up ahead of him this time out, though. Chicago is back to being a solid defensive outfit, only conceding once in their last four matches. If the Polish international wants to continue his good run of form here, then he’ll have to be extra clever with his movement and make sure he finishes any chances that fall his way.
However, even if Świderski isn’t able to score himself, there’s a decent chance he’ll still be about to lead Charlotte to victory.
Gabriel Slonina
The eyes of the footballing world were on Chicago and Gabriel Slonina this past week.
In quite the marquee move, Premier League giants Chelsea announced the signing of the aforementioned Slonina for about $10 million. The player had been linked with a move abroad for months, but things finally came to a head a few days ago.
The transfer makes plenty of sense, of course. The goalkeeper, who is still only 18-years-old, has become one of the sport’s biggest phenoms ever since he was named the Fire’s starter at the end of last season. He’s got a superb frame, and he even handles himself like a true professional off the pitch despite his young age.
Slonina has had an up-and-down campaign this season. He and his side started the year hot, only conceding twice from their opening seven games. However, both then began to struggle, with Gaga making a number of poor mistakes and Chicago dropping points when they really shouldn’t have.
That time was a real concern, but the American has done well to rebound since, and his team has followed suit. He’s stopped making errors, and he started making key saves at the right times. The Fire improved defensively as a result, and they returned to winning ways.
Now the pressure is on everyone to continue that, but especially Slonina. The rest of this season will already be difficult enough for him as he tries to lead the side back into a playoff spot. What will make things even tougher is the fact that everyone will be watching, whether it’s Chelsea fans scouting their new youngster or rival fans praying on his downfall.
He’s not just a kid anymore, he's a kid with plenty of hype and a relatively lofty price tag above his head. Whether he rises to the occasion or crumbles under the circumstances remains to be seen, but knowing how calm and collected the number 1 has pretty much always been, he’ll almost certainly be fine.
Last time out
This meeting will be a historic one, as it will be the first between the two sides.
How to watch
The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. EDT, and it will air live on WSOC/WAXN and charlottefootballclub.com for fans in Charlotte and on WGN TV and chicagofirefc.com for fans in Chicago. Those in the United States will be able to watch the action unfold on ESPN+.