MLS: Real Salt Lake- Chicago Fire

 

Hosts are traditionally very strong at home, but have really struggled at their Rio Tinto stadium this season, Fire are simply incapable of winning on the road ! Something will have to give, unless we have a draw, but there is plenty chance of that in my opinion and maybe even a not so slim one of that breakthrough road win for the visitors, so , for me, all the value has to be with Chicago and the half ball handicap.
 

I previewed RSL's last home start when San Jose, a team who are also on a poor road run ( without a win in 13 ) provided the opposition, then we spoke about Real's inability to keep a clean sheet and the change in the playing surface here ............

Real have played ten games in all competitions, including two periods of extra time, since June 15th, they are without a win in seven, kept just one clean sheet in 18 and faced Italian giants Inter here on Tuesday. No one played more than an hour, but all but three available squad members got an outing and the hosts cannot be as fresh as San Jose. The visitors have played only six games in that same 37 day period and have conceded more than a single goal just once in nine starts and given Real's lack of clean sheets and prolific SJE stiker Chris Wondolowki's fantastic scoring record against the home side ( 7 goals v RSL), one might well be enough for Earthquakes to collect at least a share of the points this evening.

Traditionally, Real have been very strong here at the Rio Tinto Stadium, but they have struggled since the (re)laying of what has been termed a "natural grass surface", we could debate for a paragraph or two about the differences between the new pitch and the old, but suffice to say, it is different. SJE were really buoyed by a 2-1 win over Toronto FC last weekend, where they scored the winner after already playing close to 20 minutes with NINE men and then held on for a further 20 for the win. That has given them huge confidence and justice has subsequently been done with the red cards awarded to key midfielders Anibal Godoy and Alberto Quintero being rescinded and both are available this evening.

San Jose are four points off post season pace, but have 2-3 games in hand of the three teams immediately above them in the Western Conference, in his second season back in charge, head coach Dominic Kinnear will "have" to make the top 6 this time round, he and they were a place shy last year and they need to show some improvement. Kinnear is a coach we have discussed often in previous campaigns and I have often spoken of him as a second half of the season/playoff coach and he made a name for himself at Houston Dynamo, with his team always coming on strong from mid summer.  In his final season in San Jose in his first stint in charge, his team went 11-3-1 over the second half of the campaign and he will always prepare and look to come on strong at the business end of each season and we should keep an eye on Earthquakes from here on in. I should also give a mention to Simon Dawkins, his fanatstic form for Earthquakes in 2011/12 earned him a lucrative contract with Derby County, now he is back and after a slow(ish) start, his recent form has shown what all the original fuss was about, recent reports have been very flattering and like his club, he can flourish over the coming months.

 

Earthquakes came away with a 1-1 draw and probably felt it should have been all three points.Real had a tough last week with a trip to Phhiladelphia last weekend, where they won 2-1 and in midweek to Toronto, where they lost 1-0, that was draining, they used the same nine starters in the two road games and 13 played some part in each and that has to take a toll today. They have not won at home in six starts (all comps) and conceded in 9 of 10 here.
 

We last discussed Fire ahead of their US Open Cup ganme with Fort Lauderdale last month, those notes are reproduced in full below the "good luck" sign off and they won 3-0. They lost at New England 1-0 a few days later, drew 2-2 at home to Red Bulls last weekend and there have been plenty of positives to take from almost every game in the last two months and they are clearly improving and that away win has to surely come soon. They are now 35 MLS road games without a win, last of which was on July 12th 2014 !   They have had a full seven days to rest and prepare for this and it feels like the time is right, although that was true 18 months ago, when it was already overdue ! Fire have upgraded their squad this week and that is going to increase competition for starting places in an improving group, "X" or dare I even say it, "2" game.

 

 

US Open Cup: Chicago Fire- Fort Lauderdale Strikers  (July 20th)

 

Ahead of their home game with Columbus Crew in the previous round ,I spoke about how seriously Chicago Fire have always taken the US Open Cup...........
 

Fire are four time US Open Cup champions (but not for a decade) and have made it through to the semis in each of the last three years and they can edge this and continue their fine record in the competition.
 

They won that 2-1 after opening up an early 2-0 lead and the Crew goal came late, via a wrongly awarded spot kick and after Fire , who will tonight be looking to reach the last four for the fourth straight year, took off their two main offensive threats at around the hour mark.

Tonight they are three wins away from some silverware and a Champions League spot and that would salvage the campaign and give them something to build on for next season. FTL are the last NASL team left in the competition and Fire could not have asked for a better draw, with the lower league team struggling and having really ridden their luck to reach this stage (all three wins coming after extra time or penalties).
 

There is talk of money problems at Strikers, recent salaries have been paid late and are said (unofficially) to be behind the departures of Adrianinho and Matheus Carvalho, which, with the suspension to Maicon Santo, means that FTL have only one player available with more than one goal to his name (he has two !) and arrive with no target man and a midfielder in the "striker" position. They have had quite a lot of attempts on goal this season, but most from distance, a low on target percentage and most of those achieved by players who will not be in action this evening and against a superior opponent, who is hugely motivated to win. Fire have a league game on Saturday, so will want to avoid extra time and another early two goal lead will surely be their target.