Chicago Fire (4-6-6, 9th in East) vs. Real Salt Lake (6-8-1, 7th in West)
Both the Chicago Fire and Real Salt Lake are looking to hit the reset button on their seasons and recover from US Open Cup exits from the previous week. Both teams have lost three on the trot in all competitions.
If Veljko Paunovic was not already on the hot seat before the Fire’s Open Cup loss to Saint Louis FC, it should be now. Now, he has to figure out a way to get the best of his lineup which might not include Johan Kappelhof who went off with a thigh injury against St. Louis. The team crumbled shortly after he went off and never recovered resulting in their elimination from the Open Cup.
RSL’s exit was to LAFC, 3-0, in the fourth round. This is the third of a three-match road trip in the league which has seen losses to Montreal and New York Red Bulls. RSL sits right on the red line in seventh place ahead of San Jose on wins and just one point clear of Vancouver. A win for them will give them a chance for some breathing space above the red line.
Despite their slump, the Fire are still one point behind the red line in the East. A win against RSL will at least provide some respite for fans—at least those who come to Bridgeview on Saturday night. The Fire need something, anything positive right now.
Failure to get a positive in terms of a result against RSL—to whom they have lost three of their last four against—will only raise the temperature on Paunovic (and GM Nelson Rodriguez whose seat should already be hot) and likely make SeatGeek Stadium more cold and dark.
Kickoff is at 7pm CT on ESPN+.
INJURIES:
CHICAGO FIRE:
QUESTIONABLE: Johan Kappelhof (D) – thigh injury
QUESTIONABLE: CJ Sapong (F) – back injury
REAL SALT LAKE:
OUT: Jordan Allen (M) – knee injury, out for season
DOUBTFUL: Tony Beltran (D) – knee injury
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW:
CHI: Francisco Calvo
RSL: Kyle Beckerman
INTERNATIONAL DUTY:
CHI: Djordje Mihailovic (USA)
RSL: Jefferson Savarino (VEN)
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Assistant Referees: Philippe Briere, Kyle Longville
4th Official: Joe Dickerson
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero
LAST YEAR:
8/04/18: RSL 2-1 CHI
