After losing to Charlotte on Sunday, Chicago Fire FC is in 12th place in the eastern conference. While their playoff hopes may no longer be alive for this year, it will still be interesting to see what they do in their last two games of the season. With New England and Charlotte only 3 points ahead on the table, Chicago Fire FC still has a chance to end up in the top 10, even if only just.
Chicago Fire FC VS FC Cincinnati
This game will take place on Sunday, the 2nd of October. While Chicago doesn’t have much to play for, Cincinnati sure does. If Cincinnati doesn’t win this game and their next, they could lose their playoff spot. Unfortunately, there is no hope for Chicago to make a playoff run at the moment but don’t expect them to lie down and just let FC Cincinnati walk all over them.
In their last two meetups, Cincinnati has won both matches with the same score, 2-1. Cincinnati will not only have the winning advantage on October 2nd, but they will also have the home-field advantage, which could help them secure their 3rd win in 2-years over Chicago.
Chicago Fire has recently had six players called to National team duty and while they will be back in time for this game, they may be a bit more tired than the rest of the team. Some of these players will be playing three games for their National sides before returning back to Chicago to kick things off VS Cincinnati. With Cincinnati being the favorite to win, look for Chicago to try and push through and get the win on the road.
Chicago Fire FC VS New England Revolution
In what will be Chicago’s last game of the season, they are going face the NE Revolution at home. As we have said, Chicago doesn’t have much to play for as they won’t make the playoffs but they will still try and do what they can to get the last few points of the season.
Chicago and the Revolution faced off at Gillette stadium only a few weeks ago, resulting in a 0-0 draw and full-time. Considering the last result and the fact that NE is ranked #11 and Chicago is #12 in the Easter conference, one would expect both teams to try and secure a win in what is both of their last games of the season.
In their last 20 matches, Chicago Fire has won 8 and there have been 8 draws. This would mean that it is likely that the New England Revolution is the underdog in this upcoming game. However, if you want to see the proper odds, it is worth checking out somewhere like Caesars Illinois sportsbook for the upcoming matches. With the odds in their favor, it will be interesting to see if Chicago can capitalize on this and finish the season with a win.
Finishing Off The Season
While only two games are left, Chicago Fire FC must be in two minds on what to do. As they have had somewhat of a subpar season so far, do they try their hardest to win the last two games and go out on a high note? Or, do they not take them as seriously and start looking to prep for hopefully a better season next year?
We wouldn’t expect them just to hand the games to the other teams, but given their season so far, and the fact six of their players will only be just returning from playing for their National teams, do they risk any further injuries or play it safe?
Looking Ahead
Chicago Fire FC could have some major moves happening. Yes, we do mean moves! As the Bears are moving stadiums, Fire is said to be considering building their own Soccer specific stadium. They could also be looking into becoming the main tenants of their current stadium and even make some significant renovations to make it more suited to their needs.
“We are looking at all of those options,” said Glassman Chrein, who asserted the Fire wouldn’t follow the Bears to the northwest suburbs. “If we do build a soccer-specific stadium we want to be in the city. We want to be the Chicago Fire. We want to be close to you, our fans. Hopefully, we’ll be able to share more on that in the coming months, but we’re still looking at those options.”
Fire has been forced to move several games to the SeatGeek stadium, including their upcoming 25th-anniversary game. Obviously, this is less than ideal but something they have had to put up with due to sharing the venue with the Bears. Glassman Chrein has said they know the building is very busy. Between them, the Bears, Colleges football and even concerts, he feels as if they will always have to move a few games every year to SeatGeek, especially as long as the bears are playing there.
Final Words
While it is anybody’s guess as to what will happen, there are a couple of things we can be certain of at this point. First, Chicago is not going to be in the playoffs. While I am sure they are not ready for their season to end, I am also certain they are looking forward to next season and getting things into place.
We can also see that they are trying to have their field better suited for them as a soccer club. While they are not overly happy where they currently are playing, they are used to it and know what to expect. Also, if they were to build a new stadium, this could take years of looking for land, planning and even the construction of the stadium itself could take some time.
One thing we can take from this all is the fact that they are various serious about competing in the MLS and are looking to do what they can to not only better things for the team but even make it so more fans can get along to games. Building a new stadium could also create other opportunities for more businesses such as hotels, soccer bars, and much more.