Two MLS teams who are defying expectations in different ways this season face off on Saturday night as the Chicago Fire hosts the Philadelphia Union at Soldier Field.
Chicago is loving life at the moment. They’ve won two out of their last three games, with the most recent being a 2-1 victory at home against the previously-unbeaten Minnesota United. It was an impressive showing, and the result meant that the Fire jumped up to 6th place in the Eastern Conference. There’s still some things they have to figure out, but they’ve certainly made a promising start to the campaign.
It’s not the same story for Philadelphia, at least in terms of MLS play. They’ve lost four out of their first seven games, and they actually sit outside of the playoff picture at the moment. The Union have advanced to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, of course, but supporters will still be a bit worried about how things have gone for them in the league. A win here would quiet most of those fears, to be fair.
Team news
Chicago were handed a huge boost during the week as the three key players they’ve been missing through injury might be able to return, with Xherdan Shaqiri, Federico Navarro, and Jairo Torres having their status upgraded to questionable. Who is able to start and who comes off the bench remains to be seen, but all of them could see the field. They still have one player out injured, and that is Victor Bezerra.
Philadelphia only has one concern going into the weekend, as Kai Wagner is a doubt for the contest.
Predicted lineups
Chicago Fire: Brady, Souquet, Terán, Czichos, M. Navarro, Herbers, Giménez, Haile-Selassie, Gutiérrez, Mueller, Kamara
Philadelphia Union: Blake, Mbazio, Glesnes, Elliott, Harriel, Bedoya, Martinez, McGlynn, Gazdag, Carranza, Uhre
Ones to watch
Kei Kamara
There’s no way Kei Kamara is 38-years-old.
I mean, I can understand him being old on paper. He’s been around the league forever, being drafted by the Columbus Crew all the way back in 2006. The forward has played for 10 teams just in MLS for crying out loud.
However, when you watch him on the field, he looks like he’s still in his prime. That was on show last Saturday, as Kamara scored twice in a stellar showing against Minnesota United. His goals were well-taken, and even though the first benefited from a fortunate deflection, the second was all him since it came via an excellent diving header into the bottom corner.
His impact went beyond the scoresheet as well. The number 23 brought so much energy to the frontline, making runs in behind and putting pressure on opposition defenders. His influence on the side was clear to see, and the rest of the attacking core have simply played better whenever he’s leading the line.
Sure, Kamara can’t last the full 90 anymore, but he doesn’t need to. He makes his impact in the first hour, setting the stage for the defense to do everything else. There are youngsters who can do all the running late on, anyway.
The MLS veteran has made a lovely start to life in the Windy City, and if he can keep playing like this, then the Fire might just have something going forward.
Corey Burke
We’ve been through this before. Corey Burke simply loves scoring against Chicago.
His record speaks for itself, but I’ll go over the stats once again.
Wait. What do you mean he doesn’t play for Philadelphia anymore? He left? For the Red Bulls? Oh, my bad.
Julián Carranza
Alright let’s talk about someone who actually plays for the Union.
Julián Carranza was the hero on Wednesday night, scoring twice to carry Philadelphia into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. Both of the goals were quite similar, as he peeled off the shoulder of the last defender, got the ball, and then buried the chance with confidence and composure.
It was a performance that reminded fans of the 2022 version of the player. The striker started this campaign well, grabbing a brace on opening day, but he went scoreless following that contest up until his most recent game. He wasn’t playing terribly, but he certainly wasn’t hitting the same heights as before.
Carranza broke out last year after joining the Union from fellow MLS side Inter Miami. He had 14 goals and 6 assists in the regular season, and then he picked up another goal and another assist in the Eastern Conference final against NYCFC. He was superb throughout, and he was well-deserving of his Designated Player tag.
Now Philadelphia will hope that the Argentine can kick back into top gear following his masterclass during the week. He’ll be put to the test, as Chicago likes to keep things solid at the back, and their centerback partnership of Carlos Terán and Rafael Czichos have been excellent this year.
If Carranza can get onto the scoresheet, though, then the rest of MLS might be in real danger.
Last time out
It’s only been about a month since the last time these two sides faced off.
Taking place in Philadelphia, the home side were heavy favorites going into the contest. However, the opening was a lot more even than most would have expected, with both teams creating chances in the first half.
That all changed following the break when Fabian Herbers was sent off after he was shown a second yellow card. At that point Chicago completely parked the bus, and the Union dominated the ball as a result.
Despite the circumstances things were still going well for the Fire. They were bending, but they didn’t break.
Then disaster struck in stoppage time. A shot from Philly substitute Joaquín Torres was hit right at goalkeeper Chris Brady, but he allowed the ball to go right by him and into the back of the net.
It was a horrific moment, and it allowed the hosts to steal all the three points at the death.
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.