The Chicago Fire are involved in interconference play this weekend as they’ll host Minnesota United at Soldier Field on Saturday night.
Chicago continued their underwhelming start to the season with another draw last weekend, this time at home to fellow Eastern Conference side D.C. United. Far from the greatest example of the beautiful game, the Fire were better early on, but the visitors had most of the momentum at the end. However, neither was able to find a breakthrough, so the match ultimately ended 0-0.
Minnesota, meanwhile, picked up one of the biggest wins of the MLS campaign last weekend, beating expansion side St. Louis City 1-0 on the road. The new boys in town had won every game before that, but their run was ended by an impressive Loons side who stayed solid at the back and grabbed a late goal via a penalty kick from Luis Amarilla. That result meant that Minnesota’s unbeaten opening continued for another week, and they’ll look to keep the good times rolling on this occasion.
Team news
Chicago will be without the likes of Jairo Torres, Federico Navarro, and Victor Bezerra once again, but Xherdan Shaqiri’s status has been upgraded to questionable, so he might be able to feature.
Emanuel Reynoso is still suspended for Minnesota, while Bakaye Dibassy and Ryen Jiba will both miss out through injury.
Predicted lineups
Chicago Fire: Brady, Dean, Terán, Czichos, M. Navarro, Pineda, Giménez, Haile-Selassie, Gutiérrez, Mueller, Kamara
Minnesota United: St. Clair, Taylor, Boxall, Tapias, Lawrence, Hlongwane, Trapp, Arriaga, Fragapane, Garcia, Amarilla
Ones to watch
Brian Gutiérrez
There will once again be plenty of attention on Brian Gutiérrez this weekend, regardless of Xherdan Shaqiri’s status for the contest.
If Shaqiri can’t start, then this could be Gutiérrez’s last chance to prove that he’s the right man for the number #10 position. He had another promising performance last weekend, and even though there wasn’t much action in the final third, he brought energy to the side and linked the midfield to the attack quite well. If he can put in another quality showing, then Chicago will have no other choice but to keep him there.
If Shaqiri can start, though, then the can of worms really opens up. Is he slotted right back into the number 10 role, or does he finally return to the right wing? Wherever he goes, Guti will go the other way.
Shaqiri walking back into the middle of the park would be a real hammer blow for the homegrown’s form and confidence. It’ll show that no matter how well he does, this is still the Designated Player’s team. Gutiérrez will also have to deal with playing out of position again, and his performance might not be at the same level.
Then again, if Gutiérrez is the number 10, then this could be the start of something special for Chicago. Many believe their best lineup has him playing centrally and Shaqiri on the wing. If they finally decide to do that, the attack might finally blossom into a real threat, which they really should be given the talent on their roster.
Only time will tell what happens when all is said and done, but this might be the Fire’s most important starting lineup in some time.
Luis Amarilla
Luis Amarilla has yet to really get going in Minnesota, but that could change very soon.
Coming to the club ahead of the 2020 season, his debut campaign was a rough one. Things started very well, as he had two goals and an assist in his first two games. However, disaster struck soon after, as an ankle injury ruled him out for the rest of the year.
Amarilla was loaned out the following season to Ecuadorian outfit LDU Quito, and he had a pretty good time there, scoring at a decent rate. Those showings excited the Loons fanbase, and they were ready to see him return. The club felt the same way, making him a DP before last year kicked off.
He was alright, but the striker wasn’t quite there yet. He scored in consecutive games early on, and then he went cold for a while. Seven goals in the span of 12 contests was promising, but then he failed to score again for the rest of the campaign.
This season has been a bit more of the same. Amarilla has two goals to his name already, although both came via the penalty spot. A goal is a goal, to be fair, and his converted penalty against St. Louis last weekend was a big moment for him and Minnesota.
Goals breed confidence, and the Paraguayan is a real danger in the final third when he’s playing well. If he can grab a goal or even two this weekend against a solid Chicago backline, then he might finally kick into top-tier form for the first time in his Loons career.
Last time out
The two sides faced off at a similar point of the 2022 campaign, with that contest taking place in Minnesota.
The hosts were better for most of the afternoon, and even though Chicago had a few chances of their own, it was the Loons who opened the scoring after 71 minutes. Their high press forced a turnover, and once Bongokuhle Hlongwane picked out Emanuel Reynoso on the edge of the area it was all over, as he took a touch before burying a shot into the bottom corner.
The Fire were down a goal, and they went down a man moments later when Federico Navarro was booked for a second time and sent off as a result. Both yellows were deserved, to be fair, so there was nothing to complain about.
Minnesota effectively sealed the victory in the 84th minute when Kervin Arriaga doubled their advantage. Reynoso’s corner into the box was perfect, leaving Arriaga with no other choice but to power a header home from close range.
Robin Lod made it three before the contest was over, and he did it in some style. The midfielder did a give-and-go with Hlongwane, beat his marker with a lovely bit of skill, and curled a low effort into the bottom corner. It was a fitting end to a lovely day for the home side.
How to watch
The match kicks off at 7:30 pm central time, and it will air live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.