The Men in Red will once again face Toronto FC on their home ground this Saturday (6 p.m. CT, ESPN+), and will hope to secure a full three points against the reigning MLS champions. Earlier this season, the Chicago Fire stole a point at BMO Field when forward Alan Gordon scored a goal -- his first in a Fire jersey -- during stoppage time, ending the game at 2-2.
Here are some of the storylines surrounding Saturday’s match:
Play it again
Saturday marks the third time these squads will play against each other this season. Last weekend, in the first of back-to-back matchups against Toronto, the Fire fell 2-1 at Toyota Park. Greg Vanney’s side took the initial lead in the 47th minute through Sebastian Giovinco, before a Jonathan Osorio strike in the 65th minute negated Nemanja Nikolić’s set-piece goal from three minutes prior. Toronto’s victory ended a six-game regular season winless streak, but served the Fire their fourth straight MLS defeat. The Fire are 9-10-9 all-time against Toronto headed into Saturday's replay.
Eastern Conference playoff push
Last season, Toronto finished atop the Eastern Conference table with 69 points and a 20-5-9 record, winning the Supporter’s Shield and eventually the MLS Cup. The Fire followed closely behind in standings, finishing third in the Eastern Conference. This year, both teams are still looking to find their winning touch. The Fire currently sit eighth in the table with 23 points, while Toronto are playing catch up with 19 points. With the sixth-place playoff line currently set at 28 by the New England Revolution, both teams are still in the running for a postseason berth. Saturday's match will prove pivotal for these Eastern Conference rivals hoping to gain points over one other.
New touches
In addition to Nicolas Del Grecco and Raheem Edwards joining the Fire’s roster, the Club also traded for Toronto FC’s Nicolas Hasler in exchange for rookie Jon Bakero and $50,000 in General Allocation Moneyprior to last week's meeting. Edwards’ arrival had an immediate impact on the field last Saturday when he made an assist to Nikolić after Aleksandar Katai’s swirling free kick found him. Edwards redirected the ball to Nikolić, who decisively scored the goal.
While it remains to be seen whether Del Grecco or Hasler will suit up for the Fire this weekend, Hasler's addition to the squad adds a level of intrigue taking on his former team.
Rest and recovery
The Fire took training to the beach on Thursday, after completing their hectic stretch of five matches in 15 days last Saturday.
Toronto, on the other hand, faced Ottawa Fury FC on Wednesday in the Canadian Championship semifinals. The 2017 treble winners finished 4-0 on aggregate, and will face Vancouver Whitecaps in the tournament final next month.
Be sure to catch Saturday's match when kickoff coverage begins at 5:45 p.m. CT on ESPN+!
