Just one win separates the Chicago Fire from clinching a postseason berth for the second consecutive year. The team standing between them and a playoff berth, however, are the white hot Philadelphia Union who visit Soldier Field on an undefeated in league play run that stretches back to their return from the World Cup break.
Since then, Ryan Richter, the interim head coach of the Union, has completely turned around the fortunes of a team that had just seven points in the first half of the season. Now the Union have charged from the league’s basement into sixth place in the East, with their +11 goal differential equal to that of the Fire’s.
One of the keys to that turnaround has been the play of Cavan Sullivan, the much-heralded teenager who scarcely saw the field under former head coach Bradley Carnell before he was relieved of his duties. Sullivan has 20 goal contributions on the year, including seven goals. All but one of those goals and three of those assists have come in the 11 games he’s played since the World Cup break.
The team has also been boosted by the return of Kai Wagner, a left-back who had over 200 appearances with the Union and who was one of the club’s most recognizable stars before leaving for Birmingham City in January. A Designated Player since his return to what became a short-term stay in England, he has once again been playing like one of the best left backs in the league since his return.
Regardless of the form of their opponent, the Fire will be motivated: After breaking a seven-year playoff drought last season, their run was ended in two games by the Union in the best-of-three series that saw the Fire get embarrassed in front of their home crowd at SeatGeek Stadium last November.
Despite the undefeated record in recent months, the Union have been far from infallible. In their last outing, they managed a 2-1 win against a Real Salt Lake side that has struggled mightily since league play resumed in July, but it wasn’t exactly a great performance.
Still, the Fire have their own headwinds, including an acute shortage of players in the midfield. Midfielder Djé D’Avilla, who had been putting together some of his best performances since coming to Chicago last year, will be serving a one-game suspension after getting sent off after receiving two yellow cards on Saturday.
Anzor Mekvabishvili, brought in as midfield reinforcement at the end of the summer window, is also out with an injury, as is Robin Lod, while Anton Salétros has been on a minutes restriction as he works his way back to health. Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said the team elected to “blow past” that minutes restriction due to his strong play against New York City on Saturday, but that could have “repercussions” for the Fire’s games this week.
Even with the absences, the Fire still have something to prove: While last year’s goal was making the playoffs, this year’s aim has been proving that they are a contender.
What better way could there be to do that than besting the hottest team in the league?
