In an intense battle for top spot in the MLS Eastern Conference, Chicago Fire will face a struggling Charlotte FC in what promises to be a tense encounter on Saturday, as both teams need to bounce back and show a new attitude compared to recent weeks.
Chicago Fire experiencing strong instability in MLS
Gregg Berhalter managed to put together a run of four wins and a draw during the first weeks of May, but ended up losing three of his five matches in the last few games and saw his performance drop considerably. The last of the negative results came on Thursday in a loss to the Philadelphia Union.
The defeat dropped the team to 10th place in the Eastern Conference, although they are level on points with their direct rivals for a playoff spot and only three points behind the NY Red Bulls, who currently occupy 7th place.
Hugo Cuypers and winger Philip Zinckernagel and Jonathan Bamba are back and will be a great hope for goals this weekend. In the center of the field, Mauricio Pineda will be joined by Sergio Oregel Jr. and Brian Gutierrez, while Omar Gonzalez and Jack Elliott will provide defensive security.
Charlotte could see playoff chances plummet
On the other hand, Charlotte are going through an even worse patch with nine defeats and just three wins since the end of April, their worst record all season. Earlier this week, they suffered their second defeat in a row after an indigestible 2-1 loss to Sporting Kansas City.
Everything looked positive for the Charlotte side, but they were stunned by two late goals and saw a win turn into a loss in the space of a few minutes. Wasting the opportunity to confirm the win meant they were in danger of missing out on the playoff spots this weekend, with 25 points to their name.
The starting line-up will include Liel Abada and Wilfried Zaha, as well as Pep Biel at attacking midfielder, with Idan Toklomati, who scored in the last match, at the helm of the attacking.