Two teams near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings face off on Wednesday night as the Chicago Fire hosts Toronto FC at Soldier Field.
Chicago’s season hit a new low this past weekend. They blew a 2-0 lead at home to rivals the Columbus Crew, ultimately losing 3-2. Things were going so well in the first half, but the opposition made some changes during the break, and the Fire just never reacted. That result kept them in dead last in the East, and it may have knocked them out of playoff contention.
Life was a bit better for Toronto, but not by much. It looked like they had completed a comeback of their own when two goals in four minutes put them in front against the San Jose Earthquakes. It was not to be, though, as a stoppage time goal from Jack Skahan meant that the Canadian side would be forced to settle for a draw.
All in all, both really have to win on this occasion, which should make the contest a fun one.
Team news
Wyatt Omsberg is still dealing with a long-term injury for Chicago, while Javier Casas Jr is in health and safety protocols, so neither will feature on this occasion. The same can be said for Gastón Giménez and Miguel Navarro, who are both suspended.
Toronto will only be without two players, but one of those absentees is a big one, as superstar Lorenzo Insigne will have to miss out due to injury. The other player who is unavailable for selection is Noble Okello.
Predicted lineups
Chicago Fire: Slonina, Sekulić, Terán, Czichos, Bornstein, F. Navarro, Pineda, Torres, Shaqiri, Mueller, Durán
Toronto FC: Westberg, Thompson, O’Neill, Mavinga, Criscito, Kaye, Bradley, Osorio, Kerr, Jiménez, Nelson
Ones to watch
Chris Mueller
If anyone’s going to do anything for Chicago, it’s going to be Chris Mueller.
The rest of the team’s attacking talents have disappointed this season. Xherdan Shaqiri has dealt with a number of injuries, but even when he has played he hasn't done much. Jairo Torres has missed even more games, and he’s yet to get going despite being in the city for more than two months. Kacper Przybyłko has stayed relatively healthy, but he’s also been quite awful when it comes to leading the line.
Mueller, on the other hand, has made an impact every time he has stepped onto the field for Chicago. He’s a spark going forward, getting on the ball and driving forward with it time and time again. He’s able to create chances for himself, and he’s able to create chances for his teammates too.
What makes this especially impressive is that he joined the Fire during the campaign. He didn’t have a preseason to acclimate to life and get used to his new teammates. He was thrown into the deep end, and he has thrived ever since.
The American grabbed a goal and an assist last time out, which would have been a match-winning tally if he wasn’t let down by everyone else. It just seems like he’s got to do it all himself at the moment, and that might be the case in this contest as well.
Fortunately for Chicago, Mueller has been up to the challenge every single time, so that shouldn’t change here.
Jesús Jiménez
The last time we checked in on Jesús Jiménez, he was doing quite well for himself.
In the 13 games he played before the reverse fixture, the forward had scored seven goals and dished out two assists. He was quietly becoming a consistent threat going forward, and his return was even better considering how bad the rest of his team had been.
Jiménez even did well in that game, picking up an assist on the opening goal. However, it’s all gone downhill since then. He’s only scored once in the following five matches, and he’s not even pitched in with any assists either.
Toronto has suffered as a result, winning only one of those games. This could not have come at a worse time, as the club were just about to welcome the arrival of star man Lorenzo Insigne. Instead of him joining a team with a bit of momentum behind them, he’ll be linking up with a side that has almost no confidence.
Insigne’s debut has been delayed due to injury, which has only increased the pressure on Jiménez. Then there’s the fact that he lost his running buddy, as Alejandro Pozuelo was traded to Inter Miami in order to open up a Designated Player slot, which will likely be used on Federico Bernardeschi in the future.
Toronto can’t look too far to the future, though. They’re seven points off of a playoff spot in the East, and a few more losses could knock them out of the picture entirely before Insigne even sees the field.
It’s hero time, which makes it the perfect time for Jiménez to rediscover his form.
Last time out
These two sides faced off a little over a month ago, and that matchup was quite an eventful one.
Toronto, who were at home, took an early lead through Deandre Kerr. A well-worked move led to him getting the ball in space, and he was able to find the back of the net with a low finish, although Gabriel Slonina really should have done better with it.
That was all the scoring in the first half, but things changed following the break. Chicago came out hot, and they ultimately grabbed two goals after a lengthy spell of dominance. First Carlos Terán powered home a header from just a few yards out, and then Kacper Przybyłko scored a lovely volley to put his side in front.
It looked like the Fire were going to take over at that point, but instead, they shot themselves in the foot minutes later. Toronto were gifted a penalty when Federico Navarro stupidly took out Alejandro Pozuelo in the area, and the latter coolly converted the spot-kick to level the contest.
Pozuelo wasn’t finished, as he then went on to snatch the winner in stunning fashion. Given way too much space on the edge of the box, the Spaniard unleashed a strike towards goal, and it ended up flying off the underside of the crossbar and into the back of the net.
Despite Chicago’s efforts late on, they were unable to find an equalizer, so they were dealt a pretty tough loss as a result.
How to watch
The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. CDT, and it will air live on WGN TV and chicagofirefc.com for fans in Chicago and on TSN1, TSN.ca, and the TSN app for fans in Toronto. Those in the United States who aren’t in Chicago will be able to watch the action unfold on ESPN+.