Fresh off a 3-1 win over Orlando City SC in U.S. Open Cup play Wednesday night, the Chicago Fire return to MLS regular season action Saturday when they welcome New England Revolution to Toyota Park. The match is presented by TrueCar, with the first 5,000 fans through the gates receiving a Chicago Fire drawstring bag courtesy of TrueCar. Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. CT on Comcast SportsNet Chicago with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. A Spanish-language telecast will be available via CSN+.
Fans in attendance are encouraged to arrive in their seats early to assist the Fire in honoring one of the club's most consistent performers over the last decade. Gonzalo Segares, who announced his retirement from professional soccer earlier this year, will be recognized for his 10 years of remarkable contributions to the Chicago Fire Soccer Club prior to Saturday evening's contest.
At halftime, the club will recognize the accomplishments of the Chicago Fire Academy U-18 team, which recently claimed the U.S. Soccer Development Academy national championship.
Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution
Both sides are out to improve on their respective form since their June 13 clash, with New England accumulating three points in its last six games compared to four in five games for Chicago. But when the Revs arrive at Toyota Park, they’ll see a much different side than the one they defeated by a 2-0 margin at Gillette Stadium. David Accam, Shaun Maloney, Patrick Nyarko and Joevin Jones all were absent from that match. Now, they’re all likely to be available to add firepower to a team that was shut out on the road that night.
For Chicago head coach Frank Yallop, the prospect of having all three of his designated players on the field at the same time is an exciting one. Accam, Maloney and Kennedy Igboananike all played against Orlando City, but for a combined 121 minutes. Yallop has been watching their minutes to keep them healthy and available for games moving forward.
“Finally, we’ve got guys that can make a difference in the match,” Yallop said. “We saw that [Wednesday]. You can play however you want to play, but they make a big difference. It would be great. I’m looking forward to seeing, if they all start, all three of them on the field and doing their thing.”
Mike Magee and Jeff Larentowicz remain out with injuries, but that still leaves the Fire in better shape than they have been. The aforementioned attackers put them in a good spot, and Yallop likes how the defense is shaping up. Eric Gehrig has been a rock in the back since his move to central defense. Yallop called Joevin Jones one of the best left backs in the league. And after a two-game absence to regain his fitness, Lovel Palmer is in good shape to return to the other full back spot.
“I think Lovel’s looked good the last three, four, five days he’s trained,” Yallop said. “It’s not a punishment. It’s a realization that we need to get him a little fitter and get him playing like he can play. I think he’s taken it very well, and he’s ready to go now.”
Saturday’s match marks the last in a stretch of five in 15 days, so the Fire are looking to put everything they’ve got toward getting a win. At 18 points, they need to go on a run, and three points could draw them level with Montreal Impact and New York City FC in the Eastern Conference.
This is about two teams with something to prove. The Revolution have lost six in a row on the road and need to get back on track. The Fire, on the other hand, have three games in hand on the top of the table and several important pieces back to attempt a climb up the standings.
“[The Revolution] have talented players, and they’re a good side,” Yallop said. “They’ve not maybe had the best of runs lately, but every team’s dangerous in our league. All of a sudden, they get on a run, and they’re confident, and they go.
“We’re the same. I’m not sure everyone’s looking forward to playing against our attack at goal once we get going. That makes other teams maybe look at us a little differently than we showed them the last time.”
The Fire lead the regular season series 21-19-10, with a 12-5-7 advantage at home.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (50 meetings): Fire 21 wins, 66 goals … Revolution 19 wins, 68 goals … Ties 10
AT CHICAGO (24 meetings): Fire 12 wins, 40 goals … Revolution 5 wins, 30 goals … Ties 7
FUTURE MATCH: 10/3: Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m. CT
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Diego Fagundez and Charlie Davies scored two minutes apart early in the second half to lead the Revolution to a 2-0 win June 13 at Gillette Stadium.
• The Revolution have won just twice all-time at Toyota Park – a 2-1 win in 2006, then a 1-0 victory March 9, 2013. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in the only meeting in Bridgeview last year.
• The Revolution have won the last two meetings between the teams in Foxborough. When the Fire won there last year, it was their first victory at New England since 2010.
• Coaches record: Jay Heaps vs. CHI: P10 W6 L3 D1 … Frank Yallop vs. NE: P23 W12 L7 D4
REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar. AR1 (bench): Greg Barkey; AR2 (opposite): Adam Garner; 4th: Kevin Terry Jr.
MLS Career: 205 games; FC/gm: 26.7; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 58; pens: 69
SUSPENDED: CHI: Jason Johnson (through July 26)
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHI: Guly do Prado … NE: Lee Nguyen, London Woodberry
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