Ray of Hope: Chicago Fire vs. Orlando City Game 16 Preview

For the third straight game, the Fire faces a team whose series is almost in balance, this time at home against Orlando City, a team that came into 2024 with aspirations after a high-flying 2023 season but has instead taken a firm step back . towards the earth. The Fire hope to build on the best play in nearly two months and once again push the all-time series between the two teams in their favor.

History of the series

All the time: 7W-6D-7L
Last match : August 20, 2023: Fire 1-3 Orlando at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois.

Recent form

Orlando

Orlando hosted Columbus on Saturday, defeating them 2-0. Before that, however, Orlando had made up for a slow start to the season – getting a draw in their first game then losing the next three – but they have lost just three of 10 matches since, recording four wins and three draws . the team worked its way back to the Eastern Conference playoff spots.

Fire

The Fire's slow but sure improvement in form of late saw the team pick up a point as they took on DC United to a 1-1 draw, ending the Fire's four-match losing streak. team while extending the team's winless streak to eight games. The team did well to largely eliminate DC's star striker Christian Benteke from the match, but still conceded first, meaning they have yet to hold the lead for any of the 720 minutes during this sequence.

The scenario

The Fire's two games this week conclude the disappointing first half of their season. While no team is truly out of contention at the end of May in MLS, especially now that nine teams from each conference are in the playoffs, the Fire remain tied for 14th place in the 15-team conference and at 28th place out of 29 in the entire league, only ahead of the New England Revolution who can credit four of their seven points so far this season to results against the Fire. It's not a pretty spot, and the math against the team is daunting.

Intimidating, but not impossible. While a run that gets the team into the playoffs would be historic, it wouldn't be entirely unprecedented in this league, but now is the time to start.

After following this week's home matches, the team enjoys a two-week break. Going into the break with a string of results behind it could give the team a much-needed confidence boost for the three-game road trip that follows.

If you look, green shoots of hope begin to emerge from the Fire:

The team largely dominated its opponent in the second half against DC. The defense generally looked solid – but not perfect – throughout the match, as it contained one of the best attackers in the league, thanks in large part to the skillful marking of Carlos Terán. Rafael Czichos' performance quietly improved after a difficult start to the season, and he was useful in both defense and distribution against DC.

Federico Navarro, who had largely fallen out of favor, looked like the type of no. The number 6 defensive midfielder the Fire were looking for, and Kellyn Acosta, who had experienced a dip in form after a good start, picked up the pace and scored a goal, his second of the season.

Brian Gutiérrez started the game against DC relatively anonymously, but grew into the game over the course of the match, and if he plays with the kind of confidence he showed at the end, he'd be ready for the kind of season that the Fire was hoping for. having after giving him a new contract that pays him generously for his services.

Hugo Cuypers didn't score a goal but had an assist, in the kind of move that takes something difficult to do and makes it look ridiculously simple – exactly what you'd expect from a high-end offensive talent.

And Chicago-area native Andrew Gutman showed why the Fire pursued him so hard this offseason, becoming the best wing the Fire have had in recent memory.

Will that be enough to get back into the win column against an Orlando team that far exceeded its underlying numbers last year before falling back to earth this time around?

We'll see, but it's well within the team's reach.

Orlando players to watch

Duncan McGuire: Last season, McGuire, who Orlando acquired in the MLS SuperDraft with the sixth overall pick the Fire sent to Orlando in the deal for the rights to Chris Mueller, turned heads by scoring 13 goals and adding three assists in less than 1,400 minutes. It seemed like something could be lightning in a bottle, and looking to get the hot hand, the player and team attempted to move to Europe, but a comedy of errors kept him in Orlando. Well: Turns McGuire might not have been hot, as the forward has five goals and one assist so far this season, which almost certainly drives up his asking price. McGuire, who is expected to make near the league minimum this season, with just under $100,000 guaranteed, has every reason to continue to perform as he fights for a deal that will pay him more for his services than whether with Orlando or in Europe.

Nicolas Lodeiro: The longtime Sounder became a free agent when Seattle no longer wanted to retain his services during the offseason. In Seattle, Lodeiro earned a reputation as one of the best No. 10 central attacking midfielders in league history, and he was a key part of the team that became MLS's first to winning the then CONCACAF Champions League in its current format. . Now in his thirties, when Orlando picked him up during the offseason, many thought it was a smart move, but wondered how many minutes the former Uruguay international could offer this season. Well: So far, he's been on the pitch for 925 minutes, sixth on the team, and leads the team in goal contributions with six, including five assists.

Fire Keys to Victory

• Pick up where you left off: Half the team seemingly had their best performance in recent memory against DC. The team played consistent defense and did a good job preventing DC's stars from getting opportunities, while also doing a decent job developing from the back. Remember what it looked like; don't let this be a flash in the pan. Last year, DC and Orlando finished on opposite sides of the standings, but this season? DC is just ahead of them and both teams have similar talent levels.
• Play Team A: With three games in the span of a week, some turnover is inevitable, but the team needs to build on what they started in the last game. This means making as few changes to the XI as possible (Allan Arigoni will be unavailable due to the accumulation of yellow cards) and pushing for a result this match. It is better to aim for three points in the most winnable match, which is this one, rather than taking unnecessary risks with this match. The team no longer has the luxury of time and they have something to build on here.

Panel predictions

Alex Calabrese

You know what? Why not?

Prediction: Fire 1-0 Orlando

Tim Hotze

The Fire are expected and they can get a result against Orlando at home, especially if they return to the form we saw in the second half of the DC game on Saturday.

Prediction: Fire 2-1 Orlando

Matt Shabelman

fireeeeeeeeeeeee

Prediction: Fire 3-1 Orlando

Match information and how to watch

Date and time: Wednesday May 29, 2024, 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL.
Forecast: 58'F expected at kickoff, 9 mph winds, 21% cloud cover and 0% chance of precipitation
TV: Apple TV – MLS Season Pass