It’s Now or Never for the Chicago Fire

With Leagues Cup action drawing to a close, the Chicago Fire (who were eliminated in the group stage) returned to the pitch for an MLS regular-season match against New York City FC last weekend. Despite a woeful start, the Fire clawed back from two goals down to seal a 2-2 draw at Citi Field.

The result did just enough to keep Chicago in the playoff race. Deprived of a postseason birth since 2017, the club will look to come out on top of a wild chase for the Eastern Conference’s final spots. They’re currently on 26 points, level with three teams at the bottom of the table. Atlanta United occupy the coveted ninth slot with 28 points. Chicago’s Men in Red have eight matches to close the gap.

Do the Fire Have the Manpower?

Fire manager Frank Klopas seems to have saved his job with a positive early-summer run, having previously led the team to a disastrous start of the league season. During the form-boosting stretch, Klopas began to deploy 20-year-old starlet Brian Gutiérrez in a traditional no. 10 role and the team started to provide the service striker Hugo Cuypers was lacking. The latter has been near-prolific recently.

The team’s stretch of solid results in June and July coincided with team captain Xherdan Shaqiri’s departure for international duty with Switzerland. While the former Liverpool and Lyon man returned to Chicago prior to the Leagues Cup, he was not included in any matchday squads before being shipped off to FC Basel. His spot in the squad was filled on a short-term basis by Costa Rican winger Ariel Lasitter, a mainstay in the CF Montreal lineup.

In short, the Fire seem to have just enough as far as squad depth is concerned. The front office’s quick reaction to Shaqiri’s departure will pay dividends, as Lasitter is an MLS veteran and a proven force on the wing. Even without Lasitter, Chicago boasts Gutiérrez, Cuypers, the in-form Maren Haile-Selassie and utility man Fabian Herbers in attack.

On the defensive end, the Men in Red have not brought in any reinforcements. They’ve conceded 44 goals this season, a harrowing statistic, but they’ve been able to restructure themselves as an attacking team recently – one that scores more than it concedes. Fire veteran Rafael Czichos will have to step up and lead his back line, with fellow center-back Tobias Salquist looking to bounce back in what has been an injury-ridden first season. Chris Brady, one of the Fire’s best performers of the season, is the last line of defense between the sticks.

Can They Pull it Off?

Tonight, the Fire return to Soldier Field for the first time since July 13th. The opposition couldn’t be any tougher, as table-toppers Inter Miami come to visit. If it’s any consolation for the hosts, Miami will be without Lionel Messi, who is still nursing an injury. The two sides met fairly recently, on July 20th. Inter Miami came away with a narrow 2-1 victory then, but Chicago will be hoping for a more favorable result tonight. Three points could go a long way towards a playoff return.

After today, the Fire go into a four-game slate that will almost certainly make or break their MLS season. Three of the opponents are fellow bottom-half stragglers and playoff hopefuls, namely DC United, Nashville SC and CF Montreal. Not only are these games incredibly winnable, they would separate Chicago from the bottom of the pack. Amidst these fixtures, the Men in Red also take on the fourth-placed New York Red Bulls.

Chicago hosts Toronto FC in Week 32, another pivotal fixture. The Fire are currently seven points behind the Canadian side, who hold the 8th playoff spot, with a game in hand. With a few good results beforehand, a win in this clash could push the Fire level with or ahead of Toronto. It’ll be a much tougher task to defeat Charlotte FC on the road in the penultimate match, but luckily for Chicago, they close out the season with yet another game against Nashville, this time at home.

In short, four of the Fire’s remaining eight matches see them face teams currently outside of the top nine. It’s an ideal opportunity to gain ground on their fellow contenders. Coupled with a hiccup or two on Atlanta United’s or Philadelphia Union’s part, this could push the Men in Red into the driver’s seat. Particularly motivating are the two matchups with Nashville, a team that’s lost six consecutive MLS games as of August 31st.

It’s an ambitious ask, but earning between 15 and 17 points out of a possible 24 would almost certainly see Chicago through to the postseason. Klopas became a city hero in his playing days and now, he can craft a lasting managerial legacy. It’s been a very long wait for Fire fans, but it might just be drawing to a close this year.

Main Image: “Chicago Fire PK squad” by Hayden Schiff via Flickr