Tale of Two Cities

Saturday evening in New England, two teams heading in seemingly different directions will meet for the first time in 2011 as Chicago visit the Revolution at Gillette Stadium. Although on paper these two teams are nearly identical, momentum will certainly favor the visiting side, as Chicago is coming off a big win last weekend against Columbus, and now sits unbeaten in their last four games, whereas New England pulled out a scoreless draw against a weak Toronto FC side last week that broke a streak of four losses coming into that game. In addition, Chicago currently sits undefeated against the Revolution in their last eight MLS outings.

For as much as history rests in Chicago’s favor, though, these two teams are eerily similar in the standings. Chicago currently sits seventh in the standings with a record of 2-4-8 and 14 points in the Eastern Conference; New England is one spot behind the Fire in 8th (due to GD) at 3-7-5, also with 14 points. The Goals Against mark falls in favor of New England by one goal, 18 to Chicago’s 19 goals, while Chicago holds the scoring advantage 16 to 11. And while the Fire have won just once on the road (thanks to last week’s stoppage time nail-biter by Cristian Nazarit), all three New England victories this season have come at Gillette Stadium.

Chicago has had a busy week. Wednesday saw the departure after just four short months of striker Gaston Puerari, who was transferred to Club Atlas in Mexico. The 25-year old Uruguayan, who seemed to have more of an impact in the early weeks of the season, quickly became a fan favorite for his constant smile, gracious attitude, and hard work on the pitch. The departure of Puerari has generated plenty of speculation going into the July 15th transfer window opening as to what Chicago’s next move might be in attaining a DP, now that there is an international spot open on the Fire roster. It seems apparent that the Fire is ready to act when they see the player that might fit the Chicago system, and be ready to make an immediate impact on the pitch. While Pavel Pardo’s name was being volleyed around some discussions, Klopas has said that the team is not pursuing him, although numerous sources are now saying that the Fire could go after Argentinean midfielder Sebastian Grazzini, currently playing with Club Athletico All Boys. Time will tell if this is another rumor, but the chances of a Grazzini acquisition seem far more realistic than any of the talk of Pardo ever did. If Grazzini ended up with the Fire, it would be his first stint with a North American club.

The move of Puerari to Atlas has also brought rise to speculation in the striker core as to who may most benefit from the gap now left up top. To be certain, Orr Barouch, who started the run and delivered the initial shot that led to last week’s game-winner, stands to gain the most from this move, as Puerari’s absence now gives interim coach Frank Klopas far more leverage in the forward and wing positions.

Also standing to possibly benefit is Gabriel Ferrari. The former U.S. youth international has shown some positive play in reserve matches this year, and this move could be the impetus that finds him on the bench as part of the 18 come game time. While Ferrari has been hampered by a few slight injuries in his time with the Fire, he could find himself getting the nod as a sub in a game in the not-too-distant future.

Klopas will most definitely have some lineup decisions to make, given the events of the last week, once Marco Pappa returns, but this weekend it’s safe to say that we’ll see Dominic Oduro continue his dominance of the right wing slot, with fellow Ghanaian Patrick Nyarko on the opposing wing. The tandem up top of Diego Chaves and Cristian Nazarit could become more of a mainstay, with Chaves finding himself in a withdrawn forward role, to Nazarit’s forward-finishing role. If Chaves can find his feet and the finesse he showed in preseason and early on in the 2011 campaign, Chicago’s offense, currently tied for 5th in the East, could make considerable strides if Nyarko and Oduro can connect with Chaves and Nazarit.

Defensively, Chicago needs to simply maintain the form they’ve held since Klopas took the reins. Chicago currently sits on a 286 minute shut-out, having not allowed a goal since their match at home against San Jose on May 24th. Put differently, detractors will tell of how Chicago went winless in April and May this season (even though they saw more draws than losses in that time). Currently, Chicago sits just shy of a month since having allowed a goal, home or away. The defensive changes Klopas has made have paid immediate dividends, and it’s safe to say that continuing that trend is a real possibility against a New England side that has struggled lately to find the net, scoring just two goals in the same amount of time since Chicago has shut down opponents.

With the momentum Chicago carried out of Columbus last Saturday, and the recent travails of a New England side struggling to find form and put together solid play, it’s a real possibility that Chicago leaves Boston the same way they left Columbus; three points in hand, putting a few more teams behind them in the standings, and clawing their way into playoff contention as we approach the midway point of an MLS season that has been a roller coaster ride of emotion on and off the pitch.

Chicago 1 New England 0

(image courtesy of chicago-fire.com)