Match Storylines: Fire, Crew SC clash in U.S. Open Cup Round of 16

The Chicago Fire return home to continue their pursuit of the club's fifth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Tuesday, hosting a familiar foe in Columbus Crew SC. Coverage begins via live stream at Chicago-Fire.com with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. CT. Below are five storylines to keep an eye on as the Fire look to advance to the tournament's quarterfinals.

Not-So-Silk Road

Chicago is coming off a pair of road losses to both of Major League Soccer's respective conference leaders, first falling in frustrating fashion at Colorado when an 89th-minute deflection allowed the hosts to claim three points. Four days later, a fast start for the Fire was negated by four straight Philadelphia Union goals and a Roland Alberg hat trick, and two late goals by Chicago left them just short of earning a result.

There were positives from both, most notably the boost provided in Philly with the reintroduction of John Goossens in the 60th minute and a third goal in four games across all competitions for the in-form David Accam. Of course, Veljko Paunovic is in no mood to accept moral victoriesand will be expecting the recent road tests against MLS' best to help his own side raise their level on a consistent basis. 

Finding Land

Crew SC earned their spot in the Round of 16 on the back of a 4-0 rout of the NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies. Columbus controlled the game throughout, boasting nearly 60 percent possession when it was all said and done. The biggest difference in the game was shot conversion, however, as Columbus put each of their four efforts on frame into the back of the net, while Tampa Bay failed to finish any of their four shots on target.

Crew SC didn’t break through until the 41st minute when midfielder Justin Meram opened scoring after a weather delay halted play for over an hour in the first half. Cristian Martinez doubled the Columbus lead just three minutes after an abbreviated half time, which was immediately followed by an Ethan Finlay penalty kick conversion in the 52nd minute. Midfielder Marshall Hollingsworth scored a fourth in the 65th minute, capping Crew SC's cruise to the Round of 16.

The New World

The Fire and Crew SC will be familiar with one another, having already met once earlier this season. The two teams battled to a 0-0 draw on March 19 at Toyota Park, a match that earned Paunovic his first home points as head coach of the Fire.

Former Crew SC ‘keeper Matt Lampson started between the pipes for the Fire in that match, earning his first shutout in his new uniform and helping kick off a streak a three consecutive straight shutouts for the Men In Red. With Sean Johnson have started the last five MLS matches for Chicago, it remains to be seen whether Lampson will get the Open Cup nod against his former team after manning the goal in the tournament's Fourth Round match vs. Indy Eleven, which ended with Lampson making two saves in the decisive PK shootout.

By a similar token, another former Crew SC man, Eric Gehrig, made his first appearance in Chicago's starting lineup since September 4, 2015 in the aforementioned match with Indy Eleven. He also earned the start last week in Philadelphia and could be in line to face his former side Tuesday if Veljko Paunovic returns to his recent 3-5-2 deployment. During his four seasons in Columbus, Gehrig appeared in six U.S. Open Cup matches. 

Columbus -- which recently signed former Fire midfielder Dilly Duka but will not have him available Tuesday -- has lost just three times in 12 MLS matches played since the club's last visit to Chicago. However, six of those matches have resulted in draws (4-3-6 overall). Crew SC's 16 points amassed so far this have them just above the Fire in the Eastern Conference table. They enter Tuesday’s match on the heels of a 1-1 home draw with the New York Red Bulls in MLS play.

A Spicy Trade

There have been some changes in the Columbus camp since that early season encounter, as the team’s 2015 leading scorer and MLS golden boot runner-up Kei Kamara has since been shipped to New England. Kamara had a very public spat with midfielder Federico Higuain penalty kick responsibilities prior to an attempt in the team’s 4-4 draw with Montreal on May 7. Following the match, Kamara was dealt to the Revolution in exchange for targeted allocation money, general allocation money, a first-round draft pick in 2017, a second-round pick in 2018, an international roster spot, and a cut of any future transfer money.

In the wake of his departure, however, a similarly surnamed striker has emerged to fill the veteran’s shoes. Norwegian international Ola Kamara has burst onto the scene in his first year in Columbus after arriving from Tippeligaen club Molde FK before the season began. The younger Kamara was used sparingly through the first two months of the 2016 season, and didn’t break into the regular starting 11 until mid-May. Since then, the 26-year-old has netted five goals (a team lead he shares with the departed Kamara), all of which have come in Crew SC’s last four MLS games.

A Day for Commemoration

The Fire will have history on their side when the two teams kick off on Tuesday night at Toyota Park. Chicago has faced no other team in U.S. Open Cup play as many times as they’ve faced Crew SC, totaling five head-to-head matches played in the Fire’s tournament history. The Fire have won on all five occasions.

The first meeting was memorable, to say the least. On Oct. 30, 1998, the two teams met in the tournament final. Chicago’s Jerzy Podbrozny and Columbus’ Stern John traded regular time goals, before Chicago’s Frank Klopas sealed the game with a 99th-minute golden goal in extra time. That strike clinched the Fire the first of their four U.S. Open Cup titles.

Oddly enough, four of the five Open Cup matchups played between these two teams have been settled in extra time. The only meeting to be settled in regular time came in 2013, a 2-1 victory in the tournament’s fourth round. Most recently, the Fire dispatched Columbus in the 2014 Round of 16, a 4-2 result again decided in extra time.

Columbus has not advanced past the Round of 16 their title match appearance in 2010. Will their Open Cup fortunes turn tonight, or will they bow out at the hands of Chicago for the third time in the four seasons?