As the Chicago Fire head north of the border this weekend to
take on Toronto FC, two members of the team will be returning to whence they
spent the 2010 season.
The obvious one is goalkeeper Jon Conway, who was acquired
by the Fire in a trade during January’s MLS SuperDraft to be a mentor for Sean
Johnson. With the second-year goalkeeper ruled out for Saturday’s match with a
quad injury, the 34-year-old veteran will stand between the sticks for the
fifth straight match for his Saturday return to BMO Field.
Another soul returning to his old stomping ground this
weekend is Fire assistant coach Leo Percovich, who spent the previous season as
an assistant under Preki at Toronto FC. With the former U.S. international’s
firing as head coach last September and the hiring by TFC management of Aron
Winter, Percovich, a former Uruguayan international goalkeeper made his way to
Chicago over the offseason.
“I’m happy to go back to Toronto,” Percovich said earlier
this week. “You always leave friends in every place you live. I’m full of pride
from my time there but for me Toronto is done, there are no issues and no
feelings for the team. I’m enjoying my time in Chicago.”
While the Fire (1-3-4, 7pts.) ride three straight draws into
the match, the team is also winless in the last six game, having not tasted
victory since a 3-2 result vs. Sporting KC on March 26 at Toyota Park. TFC (2-4-4; 10pts.), who sit just three points ahead
of the Fire with two more matches played in the league have done well at BMO
Field this year, racking up a 3-1-3 record at home this season when you include
their play in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship.
Their record and general success at home through the years
will make Saturday’s task a tough but welcome one according to Percovich.
“They’ll try to play soccer, different soccer than we play
in this league. They’ll try to build
more out of the the back, moving forward with the ball, passing lines in a
4-3-3. They are very dedicated in this. Sometimes it’s difficult. They believe
in this idea and especially on their home field with the big crowd they will
try to put more pressure in marking up top. I think we can find more space than
the other games we played because we almost play with the same idea -- ball on
the ground, passing, triangles, and I think it will be an open game and we’ll
see very good soccer too.”
As for the disappointing six-match winless streak, Percovich
is unwavering in his support of the players, seeing positivity despite the
results.
“It’s very important for us to continue working, to keep the
same line. In the last few games we haven’t used all of our opportunities to
score but the character of the players, the ambience is still good. It’s a very
healthy group, we have 17 new players this season so it takes time. The most
important thing is to keep the confidence, keep the same energy through every
practice session and the group is a big family – it’s a strong group, that’s
the most important thing we can bring on the field Saturday.”
Jeff Crandall is the
Team Writer for the Chicago Fire. Follow him on Twitter @JefeCrandall.
