The Fire look to get back in the win column against New England originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Ten games into the season and it’s fair to say things haven’t gone exactly how the Chicago Fire envisioned them.
The team is mired in a three game winless streak and haven’t won since early April when they beat the Houston Dynamo 2-1. Playing their third straight game at home, the Fire will look to get back in the win column when they take on the New England Revolution.
“I just think we need to get results at home. I think that’s the important thing,” Frank Klopas said. “We know it’s not going to be an easy game. You look at the team that, on the table, they are in the bottom. But we know that it’s a team with quality. You know, the league here, there’s so much parity. There’s no easy games.”
As Klopas mentioned, the Revolution sit at the bottom of the table in the Eastern Conference. They’ve won only one game and have allowed 18 goals, tied for the most goals conceded in the Eastern Conference.
That’s good news for the Fire who have gone three games without scoring a goal. Chicago has only scored 11 goals in ten games. It’s one of the reasons why the team finds themselves near the bottom of the standings.
In order to score, the opportunities have to be present. It’s an area in which Kellyn Acosta alluded to during his pre-match press conference.
“I think it’s a combination of moving the ball back to front and finding our forward,” Acosta said. “I feel like we’ve got to get them the ball in dangerous areas where they are bringing out their qualities, and I think we have not done a good job of progressing the ball in situations to them.”
In addition to New England’s poor defensive record, they also have the poorest attack in MLS, having only scored six goals all season. In short, it’s a match the Fire should expect to pick up three points.
That being said, despite the record, it’s not a team they’re underestimating.
“Yeah, they have a good team,” Acosta said. “They know each other and have been around for some years now, the same core group of guys with their No. 10, Carles Gil, he’s a special player. He gets the team going. I think he’s the catalyst for the team and he’s a guy that you’ve definitely got to be keen on. And from the striking forwards to their outside backs, they are a team with a good system and a team that fights to the end.”
These two teams have already met this season with New England holding the Fire to a 1-1 result back in March.
Both teams are desperate for a win but playing at Soldier Field and given the struggles from New England on both sides of the ball, it’s a game that, on paper, favors the Fire where they should come away with a positive result.