Chicagoland soccer fans can get their fill of live action Saturday when Toyota Park serves as the site of a professional doubleheader. The Chicago Fire, winners of three straight at home, play host to Real Salt Lake at 2 p.m. CT before the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL square off against the visiting Boston Breakers.
Guests to Toyota Park will be treated to $2 hot dogs courtesy of Red Hot Chicago. Click here for important information on Pub To Pitch transit and stadium seating plans for the second leg of Saturday's doubleheader.
Due to a rescheduled Chicago White Sox game, the Chicago Fire match will air in its entirety onCSN Chicago Plus. Coverage also will begin on the main CSN Chicago channel before switching to the White Sox game at approximately 2:35 p.m. A Spanish-language radio broadcast will be available on ESPN Deportes 97.5 FM in Chicago.
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<b>Shipp, Larentowicz Preview RSL </b> |
MATCH INFORMATION
• The Fire are 6-4-7 all-time in regular season meetings against Real Salt Lake, including a 3-2-4 record in matches played at home. The Fire enjoyed a four-match unbeaten streak against RSL from 2011 to 2013 before a heart-breaking 3-2 loss to visiting Real Salt Lake last season. Chicago led 2-0 after 70 minutes, but goals by Alvaro Saborio and Joao Plata in the game’s waning minutes allowed RSL to steal all three points.
• Last week, the Men In Red saw their three-match winning streak come to a close in a 1-0 road loss to Sporting Kansas City (3-2-4, 13 points) on Sunday afternoon. The two sides, playing in the series' 50th all-time meeting, traded a combined 25 attempts on goal, but the home side emerged victorious courtesy of a 75th minute Paulo Nagamura header.
• Despite the loss, the Fire remain above the playoff line in the Eastern Conference while ranking as one of three Major League Soccer sides to have played seven or fewer matches thus far in 2015.
• The Fire will enter the match as the more rested side after RSL battled through a weather-delayed 0-0 draw with LA Galaxy Wednesday night in Sandy, Utah. Jeff Cassar’s men nearly surrendered all three points in the game’s dying moments, but a stoppage-time penalty kick save by Nick Rimando against Juninho allowed the hosts to emerge with a point.
• Head coach Frank Yallop and the Fire will be without the services of Designated Player David Accam in Saturday’s match after Accam was shown a red card in the 89th minute of last week’s contest at Sporting KC. The Ghanaian speedster opened his Chicago Fire scoring account on April 24 vs. NYCFC and earned MLS Team of the Week honors for his efforts in the win.
"It's tough because we're not going to have that threat of speed on the outside to get in behind," said midfielder Harry Shipp. "It's going to be on me and Shaun (Maloney) and me, picking up the ball in front of the back four. We've got to be difference-makers. Last game, especially, I didn't make as many influential plays as I would have liked so I want to be picking up the ball more in the last 30 yards from goal more."
• Fire defender Lovel Palmer joined the Fire in a trade with RSL on Dec. 13, 2013 after one season in the Wasatch Front. Selected by RSL in Stage 2 of the MLS Re-Entry Draft on Dec. 14, 2012, Palmer made 17 appearances and tallied one assist in regular season play, and made three post-season appearances as RSL reached the 2013 MLS Cup.
• Real Salt Lake defender Chris Schuler was a member of the Chicago Fire PDL team from 2006 to 2009.
