The Chicago Fire will try to move a step closer to their first MLS Cup playoff appearance since 2017 on Saturday when they host a New York City FC side that is also in the mix for the last Eastern Conference postseason places.
Chicago (12-10-6, 42 points) enters the weekend holding the ninth and final East slot, two points behind NYCFC and two in front of the New York Red Bulls.
Under first-year coach Gregg Berhalter, the Fire have taken 14 points from their last seven matches, and last weekend earned a 3-2 home win over New England. The Fire sprinted to a 3-0 lead as Hugo Cuypers tallied his team-leading 16th goal in the 68th minute, then held off the Revs down the stretch.
That means Chicago’s last six matches will have the most pressure attached to them in recent memory. But that was always the idea when Chicago hired Berhalter, the former U.S. men’s national team manager who led Columbus to the postseason four times between 2014 and 2018.
“Basically, that’s what we’ve worked for,” Berhalter said. “We’ve worked to get into this position to play games like this. This is the best time of year. When you’re playing in November you’re doing something right, and that’s what we’re trying to do. ”
New York City (13-9-5, 44 points) have a match in hand on Chicago and two on the Red Bulls. They had been surging up the standings by going five unbeaten in league play before their final match in August, a 2-1 home loss to an already eliminated D.C. United side playing under a new coach.
And even in that one, in which Justin Haak’s early goal was outdone by Gabriel Pirani’s brace, manager Pascal Jensen said NYCFC were unlucky.
“I don’t think we’re going to bounce back off a poor performance. I think we’re going to bounce back off a bad result,” Jensen said. “The performance itself, especially in the first half, I thought we were pretty good.”
Alonso Martinez has scored 14 MLS goals and Hannes Wolf has nine for NYCFC, who were idle during last week’s international break. Goalkeeper Matt Freese has kept seven clean sheets in 24 outings while also working into the USMNT goalkeeping picture.
–Field Level Media
