It’s been a busy and good week for the Chicago Fire. After a win in the US Open Cup semi-finals, the signing of Argentine Sebastian Grazzini, and the announcement of an upcoming friendly against Chivas del Guadalajara, the Men in Red hope to finish off a positive week with a win Saturday night against a struggling expansion Portland Timbers side at Toyota Park.
Chicago will likely see one of their best opportunities of the season to walk away with three points at home, as Portland comes into Toyota Park with a 0-5-2 record and -12 goal differential on the road. Portland is riding a current 3-game losing streak, while Chicago saw an 8-game unbeaten streak come to an end last weekend in a chippy affair against LA Galaxy.
With the suspension of Diego Chaves for his tackle on Landon Donovan last weekend, as well as the red card issued to Josip Mikulic in the wake of the dangerous Chris Birchall tackle, it’s likely we’ll see Dominic Oduro up top with Colombian Cristian Nazarit. Orr Barouch, who scored a brace against NYRB in Tuesday’s Open Cup match, will likely see some playing time, and it’s possible that Gabriel Ferrari will have a chance to redeem himself after a few questionable recent outings.
New Fire signing Sebastian Grazzini will likely not dress for Saturday’s match, but will instead make his debut in next week’s reserve match, just ahead of the July 23rd World Football Challenge matchup against Manchester United. Saturday’s midfield lineup is likely to reflect that of the lineup against LA, with Nyarko and Pappa on the wings, and captain Logan Pause in the central mid role with Daniel Paladini.
Portland’s defense appears to be paper thin, giving up 31 goals in 17 matches this season. It will be interesting to see how Chicago’s wingers are able to work with Nazarit and Oduro up top to exploit the Timbers weakness in the backfield. Patrick Nyarko seems to be hitting his stride offensively, and both Dominic Oduro and Cristian Nazarit have been able to find the back of the net with increasing regularity as of late across all competitions (USOC, MLS, and reserve play). If Marco Pappa, who has struggled since coming back from Gold Cup duty, can find his legs and increase his effectiveness, Chicago could very well find themselves at the beginning of a solid run of play, with Sebastian Grazzini filling in the playmaking spot that Chicago has seemed to so desperately need this season.
Prediction: Fire 3 Timbers 0
Injury Report
PORTLAND TIMBERS — OUT: FW Spencer Thompson (R knee); QUESTIONABLE: DF Rodney Wallace (L knee); DF Jeremy Hall (groin soreness); PROBABLE: DF Mamadou Danso (L shoulder); FW Bright Dike (R Achilles rupture); DF David Horst (L hip flexor); MF Adam Moffat (R ankle sprain); GK Troy Perkins (R hip soreness)
CHICAGO FIRE — OUT: DF Steven Kinney (R Achilles repair); MF Marko Maric (L deltoid sprain); DOUBTFUL: MF Mike Banner (L Achilles tendinitis); DF Cory Gibbs (stomach virus)
Referee
Elias Bazakos
Image courtesy of Getty Images
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