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The Chicago Fire are coming off a solid season in 2017 that saw them get 55 points, as they finished in third place in the Eastern Conference. The solid finish got the Fire into the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Their playoff stay didn’t last long, as they were routed in the first round by the New York Red Bulls, losing 4-0. Will Chicago fall back in 2018 or can they build upon their surprising finish of a year ago?
Chicago Fire MLS Odds
The Chicago Fire are not a serious MLS Cup contender, as they did really well last season just to finish in third place in the Eastern Conference. The Fire seems more likely to fall back in 2018 than to take the next step forward into MLS Cup contention.
MLS Results
The Fire were a major surprise a year ago, as they finished at 16-11 with 7 draws. That was good enough for third place in the Eastern Conference. Chicago was 24 points better than in 2016 and their strong season got them into the playoffs where they were bounced out quickly by New York. Chicago’s turnaround in 2017 can be attributed to General Manager Nelson Rodriguez who made a number of excellent moves. Chicago played so well early in the season that they actually were unbeaten for an 11-game stretch from May into June. Forward Nemanja Nikolic was scoring at a record pace and the midfield duo of McCarty and Schweinsteiger was superb. The success in the first half of the season didn’t last, as the second half was bad. Injuries really affected the club and the season-ending injury to Michael de Leeuw was a crusher.
Players to Watch
There is no question that Nikolic is an exciting player to watch, as he scored 24 goals last season for Chicago. The team also has some capable players to watch in the midfield in McCarty and Schweinsteiger.
The Coach
Veljko Paunovic took over in November of 2015 and he did a fine job in leading Chicago to the playoffs last season.
Chicago Fire History
Chicago began play in 1998 in the MLS as one of the league’s first expansion clubs. They won the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in their inaugural season. They also won the U.S. Open Cup in 2000, 2003 and 2006 and in 2003 they won the Supporters’ Shield. The club first played their home games at Soldier Field but since 2006 the team has played at Toyota Park. The owners of the team are Andell Holdings, led by chairman Andrew Hauptman. The team is named after the famous Chicago Fire that happened in 1871. Chicago has a number or rivals including FC Dallas and the New England Revolution. Chicago first played in the Western Conference, so their natural rival was Dallas but they now are in the Eastern Conference and they have met New England a number of times in the playoffs. The Columbus Crew are now the closest MLS team to the Fire and a new rival.
Chicago Fire Predictions
The Fire were definitely improved in 2017 but they are not yet an MLS Cup contender. The front office did a nice job last season to get this team to be competitive, but more needs to be done. The team badly needs defensive help, as they had only three center backs for most of last season. They need another forward to complement Nikolic, as he was really the only true forward on the team last season. They also need someone to step up in goal, as either Richard Sanchez has to take the job and play well or they need to get someone else. The most likely scenario has Chicago falling back in 2018 and struggling just to make the playoffs.
Chicago Fire Roster
G - Jorge Bava
G - Matt Lampson
G - Stefan Cleveland
G - Richard Sánchez
D - Matej Dekovic
D - João Meira
D - Jonathan Campbell
D - Jorge Corrales
D - Brandon Vincent
D - Johan Kappelhof
D - Patrick Doody
D - Christian Dean
D - Michael Harrington
MF - Bastian Schweinsteiger
MF - Dax McCarty
MF - John Goossens
MF - Matt Polster
MF - Arturo Álvarez
MF - Brandt Bronico
MF - Djordje Mihailovic
MF - Collin Fernandez
MF - Drew Conner
MF - Juninho
MF - Daniel Johnson
F - Nemanja Nikolic
F - Michael de Leeuw
F - Luis Solignac
F - Joey Calistri
F - David Arshakyan
F - David Accam
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