Following Saturdayâs trip to Minnesota, the Chicago Fire reconvened at Toyota Park on Tuesday morning to begin preparation for their next match, a March 31 home date with the Portland Timbers (5 p.m. CT | TICKETS).
The Fire are among a contingent of MLS teams with a bye during this upcoming weekend that aligns with the FIFA international window. With two weeks to prepare for their tilt against the Timbers â who travel to face FC Dallas this Saturday (March 24) â the Fire are capitalizing on the opportunity to fine-tune their fitness and tactics ahead of a three-game home stretch.
New dad Bastian Schweinsteiger was back in action following the announcement of his first-born son on Sunday. Schweinsteiger remained in Chicago with expectant wife Ana Ivanovic over the weekend and missed the Minnesota match, but returned to training on Tuesday.
Also back on the field in an increased capacity were defenders Grant Lillard (knee) and Jonathan Campbell (facial fracture), both of whom continue to progress toward a return to full training. The pair of centerbacks participated in the group fitness period to open the session before moving to solo ball work as the team shifted into full squad drills.
Nemanja Nikolic departed for Hungary immediately following Saturdayâs match to meet up with the Hungarian national team in preparation for a pair of Friendlies against Kazakhstan (Friday, March 23) and Scotland (Tuesday, March 27) in Budapest. Niko is expected to be available for the upcoming tilt against Portland, where heâll formally receive his 2017 MLS Golden Boot trophy in a brief prematch presentation.
Several players also had the opportunity to take care of a few personal affairs on the day, including the recently signed Tony Tchani, Kevin Ellis and Alan Gordon, who are in the process of getting settled in Chicago. Ellis, making his first Fire start, and Tchani each went the full 90 minutes in Saturdayâs 2-1 defeat in Minnesota, while Gordon made his club debut with a 10-minute cameo off the bench. The trio are set to return to training Wednesday.
The Fire will train the balance of the week and host a closed-door scrimmage on the weekend against the University of Louisville.
