Just over eight years after FC Cincinnati memorably upset the Chicago Fire in the round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup, the two teams will meet for the second time this season on Saturday night at Cincinnati.
Cincinnati (12-5-3, 39 points) outlasted Chicago 3-2 at home on April 19 during a month when the Fire went 0-3-1. Since then, though, Chicago (8-7-4, 28 points) has gone 7-3-1 in its last 11 MLS regular-season matches, allowing the Fire to climb into ninth place in the Eastern Conference.
FC Cincinnati, though, will take the pitch Saturday night riding a three-match winning streak. All three of those wins came on the road, including a hard-fought 2-1 win at Orlando City on Saturday night.
“You have to understand how to play against different teams and different atmospheres and know how to manage that,” Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. “For the most part, our guys have done a good job of that.”
Meanwhile, Chicago has been a streaky team this season.
The Fire scored seven goals in their win at D.C. United on June 7, but they also allowed seven goals in their road loss at Nashville SC on April 26.
After going 5-1-1 in six matches in May, the Fire went just 2-2-0 in June. But they ended the month with a crucial 3-2 home win over Charlotte FC to stay in playoff positioning. It was just the Fire’s second home win of the season.
“When I looked at our home losses, (they) came against the (top three teams in the Eastern Conference_” head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We weren’t ready to beat the top teams yet. It doesn’t mean we’re not making progress, and we’re going to continue to.”
Cincinnati is just 1-3-2 at home against Chicago, but Saturday is an opportunity to earn a regular-season sweep over the Fire for the first time in club history.
–Field Level Media
