Following a tough defeat in Kansas City on Friday evening, the Fire head to face Eastern Conference leading D.C. United in the second to last regular season game of the season (Saturday 5:30pm CT on My50/TWCSC-WI).
D.C. are coming off of their first win in Houston and will be looking to extend the lead at the top of the East. Here are a few things to look out for from a tactical perspective.
D.C. without Silva – dealing with the threat of Eddie Johnson
In last month’s 3-3 draw with D.C. in Bridgeview, DP striker Eddie Johnson did not suit up to face the Men in Red. Johnson looks set to start Saturday’s match however, due to the injury to star striker Luis Silva.
After suffering a hamstring injury this week, Silva is likely to miss part of the playoffs and head coach Ben Olsen made no effort to veil his intentions in the buildup to the game against the Fire, telling the Washington Post’s Steve Goff, “Eddie is our option. Eddie is in good form, in a good spot, and he is ready to lead that frontline.”
Johnson came off the bench for Silva in Houston last week and sealed the win by scoring the third goal in the team’s 3-1 away victory. Though many would argue that Johnson has been the lone blemish on an otherwise stellar regular season by D.C., the fact remains that he continues to be a major scoring threat. With six goals to his name this season Johnson knows a good end of season and early playoff run could mean he retains a starting place even after Silva’s return.
Unlike Silva, who is much more of a mobile striker that likes to drift, Johnson is much more effective when he operates inside the 18 yard box. D.C. will certainly miss Silva’s dead ball prowess, but Johnson’s finishing ability will be a welcome addition.
In the Fire’s last match against SKC, centerbacks Bakary Soumare and Jeff Larentowicz both did a great job in shutting down striker Dom Dwyer. It is likely that Johnson will also be playing in the lone striker role on Saturday night and if Jeff Larentowicz and his expected partner, Patrick Ianni, can put in a similar performance than the one against SKC, the Fire should be in good shape.
Monitoring the ever-creative Chris Pontius – limiting the space for the D.C. midfielder
D.C. United have welcomed the return of talismanic midfielder Chris Pontius for the home stretch of the regular season following his lengthy spell on the sidelines. Coach Ben Olsen deploys Pontius on the left of a midfield four but Pontius, like Harry Shipp, is very comfortable cutting inside from this wide left position onto his right foot.
With D.C. regularly deploying the two defensive minded midfielders Perry Kitchen and Davy Arnaud, the emphasis will be on Pontius, DeLeon and Fabian Espindola (who usually plays off the main striker) to create chances for Johnson.
In D.C.’s last match in Houston, Pontius played a major role in the first United goal, getting behind the defense and testing the Dynamo keeper who was only able to parry the shot into the path of Taylor Kemp who finished neatly from the top of the box.
Pontius will be up against Lovel Palmer when he plays on the wing, but the starting Fire central midfielders must also be aware of his tendencies to drift into the middle, especially when Espindola decides to move into the wide areas.
Pontius is equally comfortable playing in the second striker role and we could see some interchanging throughout the match between the California native and Espindola.
D.C. will be looking to get Pontius space and time on the ball as much as possible on Saturday and keeping him under wraps will also cut one of the main supply lines to Johnson.
Building on the great counter attacking play last week
One of the most impressive aspects of the Fire’s game against SKC on Friday night was the speed and purpose of the counter attacks from the Men in Red.
Players like Matt Watson capitalized on any sloppy balls from their opponents and looked to spring Quincy Amarikwa at any opportunity. Amarikwa also did a fine job of holding the ball when he had little support in the attack.
Patrick Nyarko was particularly dangerous when he was able to get the ball and run at defenders, often before cutting inside and playing a though ball to one of the other attackers. Harry Shipp also did a good job of picking up the ball and looking to distribute to either Amarikwa or Florent Sinama-Pongolle.
Sinama-Pongolle had his best match in a Fire uniform against SKC, and could’ve had at least two goals on the night. He got himself into great positions, especially on counter attacks and was unlucky to not pick up a few more free kicks in attacking areas when the referee failed to call fouls when the Frenchman was taken down on more than occasion.
Perry Kitchen and Davy Arnaud are not the fastest midfield paring in the world and if the Fire can continue to counter at pace and get the ball either wide to Patrick Nyarko or to Sinama-Pongolle/Shipp in the space between the center midfielders and center backs, the Men in Red could cause the runaway Eastern Conference leaders quite a few headaches.
Prediction: The Fire pick up another draw on the road: 1-1 with a goal from Florent Sinama-Pongolle.
