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MLS Preview: Chicago Fire v. San Jose Earthquakes
On ‘70s night at Toyota Park, the Fire look to boogie past the ever-struggling Quakes.
Jun 27, 2008 1:54:43 PM
Chicago Fire v. San Jose Earthquakes
When: 8:30 pm ET
Where: Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL
The Gist: Two teams looking to earn results from times past will do battle on ‘70s night at Toyota Park. Chicago, on a three-game losing streak, would like to return to the winning ways that saw them start the season with a bang. San Jose are feeling the expansion blues and would love to see a return of the Earthquakes’ winning ways, circa 2003.
Cellar-dwelling San Jose lost a close game against Chicago in early April and could be set up to pull off an upset in Bridgeview, where the Fire have lost their last two. Fourth-place Chicago need a result to reverse their downward movement in the Eastern Conference standings.
Why You Should Care: With neither team winning in their past three games, both see this match as a possible three points. Chicago, at home, has more incentive to push players forward to earn the three points.
The Fire lost 2-0 away to Chivas last Thursday night, but had plenty of chances to score. Chad Barrett, who is struggling from a lack of confidence, missed several great opportunities. With other options on the bench, coach Denis Hamlett might insert either Tomasz Frankowski or Andy Herron, neither of whom could do any worse than Barrett at this point.
San Jose have had offensive problems -- only one goal in their last three games -- but have shown they can counterattack against teams with offensive mindsets. And Sierra Leonean striker Kei Kamara, the Quakes leading scorer, is back from international duty.
The Quakes have a negative aspect that could come into play extend this weekend: They have had players sent off in three of their last four matches. Facing Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who constantly draws fouls, odds are another San Jose player could be marching down the tunnel early.
He’s So Hot Right Now: Ronnie O’Brien. The Irish midfielder is the only dangerous weapon for the Quakes, but not quite dangerous enough in recent weeks. Should the Fire take a more offensive approach, look for O’Brien to spring Kamara and Ryan Johnson on balls over the top.
Prediction: Chicago Fire 1, San Jose Earthquakes 0
-- Pat Walsh, Goal.com
When: 8:30 pm ET
Where: Toyota Park, Bridgeview, IL
The Gist: Two teams looking to earn results from times past will do battle on ‘70s night at Toyota Park. Chicago, on a three-game losing streak, would like to return to the winning ways that saw them start the season with a bang. San Jose are feeling the expansion blues and would love to see a return of the Earthquakes’ winning ways, circa 2003.
Cellar-dwelling San Jose lost a close game against Chicago in early April and could be set up to pull off an upset in Bridgeview, where the Fire have lost their last two. Fourth-place Chicago need a result to reverse their downward movement in the Eastern Conference standings.
Why You Should Care: With neither team winning in their past three games, both see this match as a possible three points. Chicago, at home, has more incentive to push players forward to earn the three points.
The Fire lost 2-0 away to Chivas last Thursday night, but had plenty of chances to score. Chad Barrett, who is struggling from a lack of confidence, missed several great opportunities. With other options on the bench, coach Denis Hamlett might insert either Tomasz Frankowski or Andy Herron, neither of whom could do any worse than Barrett at this point.
San Jose have had offensive problems -- only one goal in their last three games -- but have shown they can counterattack against teams with offensive mindsets. And Sierra Leonean striker Kei Kamara, the Quakes leading scorer, is back from international duty.
The Quakes have a negative aspect that could come into play extend this weekend: They have had players sent off in three of their last four matches. Facing Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who constantly draws fouls, odds are another San Jose player could be marching down the tunnel early.
He’s So Hot Right Now: Ronnie O’Brien. The Irish midfielder is the only dangerous weapon for the Quakes, but not quite dangerous enough in recent weeks. Should the Fire take a more offensive approach, look for O’Brien to spring Kamara and Ryan Johnson on balls over the top.
Prediction: Chicago Fire 1, San Jose Earthquakes 0
-- Pat Walsh, Goal.com
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