CHICAGO FIRE vs. MINNESOTA UNITED FC
Toyota Park | Bridgeview, Illinois
08.26.17 | MLS Week #25 | MLS Game #25
7:30 p.m. CT (FOX9+, MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN)

2017 Records:
MIN: 6-14-4; 0-8-2 on the road
CHI: 12-8-5; 7-1-3 at home

There’s no rest for the weary as MNUFC follows up a heartbreaking stoppage-time loss to the Western Conference leading Seattle Sounders FC with a visit to the formidable Chicago Fire. Led by the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, David Accam, Dax McCarty and Nemanja Nikolic, Chicago has nonetheless stumbled recently, losing five of its last six including the team’s first home loss of the season to the Eastern Conference-leading Toronto FC. In short, Chicago will be looking to get back on track while Minnesota will be looking to pounce. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT with coverage starting at 7:00 p.m. on FOX9+ and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN.

While the Loons’ loss in Seattle might have been tough for fans to swallow — coming as it did on a penalty kick that ended up being the very last play of the match — Head Coach Adrian Heath doesn’t feel like that kind of defeat is particularly tough to take, especially given the side’s overall quality of play.

“I always talk about a level of performance that’s acceptable to everybody and that was certainly that,” he said. “You know, I was disappointed that we didn’t get three points. In the end, we got none. I honestly thought that we were going to catch them on the break second half — our final ball at times let us down — but on the whole, for the 90 minutes, I think we deserved something from the game, and that’s the overriding emotion of the game. We’ve gone to probably the most in-form team in Major League Soccer, and given a great account of ourselves, so disappointed for the players that they didn’t take something for all their efforts. But we have to go again and we have another difficult one on the road.”

Defender Brent Kallman — who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since the team’s July 22 match against New York Red Bulls — has always relished the chance to shut down threatening scorers, but he knows the Fire are a particularly formidable opponent in the final third of the pitch.

“They’re really dangerous. The striker they’ve got, [Nemanja] Nikolić, he’s scored a lot of goals this year, really good movement in the box. So he’ll be a challenge. And then obviously [Bastian] Schweinsteiger is a decent player. He's okay,” Kallman laughed. “And then [David] Accam with his pace and power and finishing. Yeah, they pose a lot of problems. So it’ll be a good test for us.”

While fans and even some players might be impatient for Minnesota United’s first road win of the season, the team has to look at every match as a test — as much a chance to continue evaluating the talent they have and assessing what kind of talent they need as to grab three points. MNUFC has yet to sign a designated player, and while DPs are prized for their specific skills and abilities on the pitch, they can also bring as much or more value off the pitch in terms of leadership and professionalism. Heath sees that as key to what Schweinsteiger has brought to a Fire team that finished dead last in the league last season and this year has spent time atop the Eastern Conference.

“I think the most important thing is he’s won everywhere he’s been,” said Heath. “Won with the National Team, won with Bayern Munich. He’s been a great professional. And I know that German mentality of they never think they’re going to lose, that’s probably rubbed off on a lot of their younger players there. It’ll be interesting to see him close up, see how he is. But I think that they’ve bought, I think seven pieces in the last sort of calendar year, that have really had an influence on this group. Spent a lot of money putting it together, but they’ve got a lot of good weapons certainly going forward.”

MNUFC might still be lacking one of its best attacking weapons if forward Christian Ramirez is still unavailable on Saturday, having suffered a hamstring injury against D.C. United that’s kept him out of the 18 for the last two matches. In his stead, rookie forward Abu Danladi has created several good chances with his speed, but often come up lacking when it comes to finishing. For Heath, though, that’s just part of the process.

“Being a striker myself, you don’t want to put people under too much pressure,” he said. “Because then it comes a mental thing as well. I want him to just do it as naturally as it comes. He made good runs, he got himself in good spots. If he was in a position where he wasn’t getting in those spots, we would have a lot more to work with. But if you look at the games that he’s played up front, the home games, he conceivably could have got one or two goals every game. He’s had opportunities. He's making decent runs, he’s getting in the right spots. He’s just got to be a little bit more composed when he gets in there. And if he brings that composure to himself, he’s got a chance to score a lot of goals.”

MNUFC next returns home to face Philadelphia Union on Saturday, September 9 at TCF Bank Stadium. That match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. CT with pre-match coverage beginning on FOX9+ and MNUFC Radio on 1500 ESPN at 6:30 p.m.

INJURY REPORT

Minnesota United
OUT:
M – Bernardo Anor (L Lower Leg)
M/D – Thomad de Villardi (L Achilles)
D – Joe Greenspan (Head)

QUESTIONABLE:
F – Ramirez (R Hamstring)

Chicago Fire
OUT:
M - John Goossens (right ankle surgery 3/4, out 5-6 months)
D - Matej Dekovic (adductor injury)
GK - Jorge Bava (left elbow injury)
D - Brandon Vincent (left quad strain)
M - Daniel Johnson (left MCL injury)
D - Joao Meira (right calf injury)
D - Matt Polster (left knee injury)

DISCIPLINARY REPORT
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FIRST TOUCHES

• Minnesota Sporting Director Manny Lagos and Director of Player Personnel Amos Magee both played for the Fire during their careers. Lagos was taken by Chicago in the 1997 MLS Expansion Draft, while Magee was loaned to the club from the Minnesota Thunder.
• Ethan Finlay played for Chicago Fire Premier during the 2010 PDL season.
• Dax McCarty and Brandon Allen were a part of the New York Red Bulls organization in 2016.
• Ethan Finlay made his Minnesota debut last match against Seattle Sounders FC and scored his first goal for the club in the 21st minute.
• Finlay, Christian Ramirez and Abu Danladi all scored in their debuts for Minnesota in MLS.
• Ramirez missed two consecutive matches for the first time since joining the club in 2014.
• Minnesota and Chicago have never played a competitive match against each other, but they have played several friendlies. MNUFC traveled to Chicago during the 2013 preseason and won 1-0. The teams most recently met at a preseason tournament in Portland prior to the 2015 campaign. The Fire defeated the Loons 4-0 in that match.
• Jerome Thiesson made his 23rd consecutive MLS appearance against Seattle, passing Ramirez for the club record.
• Bobby Shuttleworth is one of three MLS goalkeepers with over 80 saves.
• With 16 goals this season, Nemanja Nikolic is second among MLS scorers behind NYCFC’s David Villa’s 19 goals.
• Chicago has scored 46 goals this season, putting them third in the league behind NYCFC (47) and Toronto FC (49).
• Both teams have just one win in their past seven matches.