Two in-form sides go head-to-head Saturday at Toyota Park as the Chicago Fire (2-1-2, 8 points) and New England Revolution (2-2-1, 7 points) meet for the first of three times this season (4 p.m. CT | TICKETS). Both clubs are above the red line entering the matchup in Bridgeview, where the Fire have lost just once in their last 16 home outings dating to last season.
Check out a few notes on a key early-season contest in the Eastern Conference:
FIXTURE FIGURES: Saturday's meeting marks the 56th all-time meeting between Chicago and the New England Revolution, with the Fire holding a slim 23-21 advantage in the win column (11 draws). Chicago is unbeaten (3-0-2) in its last five home matches against New England, including a 2-1 victory last October in the final home game of the 2016 season. The Revs, meanwhile, have the upperhand in all-time regular season goals scored in the series (75-73).
FINE FORM: After back-to-back road losses for New England to begin 2017, manager Jay Heaps’ club has regrouped to record two wins and a draw in its last three outings, most recently a 2-0 home shutout of a high-flying Houston Dynamo side. Prolific forward Kei Kamara netted his 88th career goal in the win -- tied for 11th-most in MLS history -- while Juan Agudelo netted his third of the year in the 72nd minute to help secure the three points.
Those two familiar names, along with the likes of the always-dangerous Lee Nguyen and Diego Fagundez, once again are leading a dynamic Revs attack. But the side's biggest changes have come in the back, where Slovenian centerback Antonio Mlinar Delamea has paired of late with 6-foot-4 rookie Joshua Smith to provide stability in front of new full-time goalkeeper Cody Cropper. Veteran Kelyn Rowe also has slid from a midfield role into a starting spot at left back to help shore up a defensive unit that allowed the sixth-most goals in MLS last season.
TRENDING: The Fire's three-game homestand -- their longest of the 2017 season -- comes to an end Saturday and leads into a challenging three-match stint away from Toyota Park, with trips to defending Eastern Conference champion Toronto FC (April 21), New York Red Bulls (April 29) and LA Galaxy (May 6). A full three points on Saturday would go a long way toward keeping the Fire in playoff positioning while away from home and vault them higher in the MLS Power Rankings, where they checked in this week at No. 12, one spot behind New England. A win Saturday also would give Chicago its first set of back-to-back wins in league play since a three-game winning streak spanning March 29-April 4, 2015.
BACK IN THE FOLD: Veljko Paunovic and the Fire were able to weather the absence of the suspended Juninho last Saturday thanks to a remarkable all-around performance by Dax McCarty and another solid outing by Bastian Schweinsteiger in the middle of the pitch. The re-introduction of Juninho could allow Schweinsteiger to enjoy even more of the playmaking freedom he saw in his debut -- although McCarty's line-splitting assists in each of the last two games have shown one need not be labeled an attacking midfielder to directly contribute to offensive chances for the Fire.
HI, KEI: Kei Kamara is the kind of player that must be accounted for at all times by opposing defenders, and the Chicago Fire did just that when facing the 6-foot-3 Kamara last season. Kamara was held without a goal or an assist in his four regular season outings against Chicago in 2016 (one with Columbus, three with New England), although he did net a penalty kick goal in the Revs' U.S. Open Cup semifinal win over the Fire on Aug. 9. That came on the heels of a 2015 season in which Kamara, then with Columbus, scored four goals in three games against Chicago.
