Chicago Fire, who are currently in last place, face second-placed Nashville SC on Saturday in an effort to avoid suffering their third straight loss in front of the Soldier Field fans.
The most recent defeat for Frank Klopas' team came at the hands of Orlando City, 3-1, while DC United was easily defeated by their guests, 2-0.
▶ Watch every MLS match, including the playoffs, here
▶ Buy MLS tickets from Ticketmaster, here
The recent road trip, which saw the Fire defeat Sporting Kansas City and Portland Timbers, may have given the team's supporters new optimism after they had previously witnessed a five-game losing streak.
At the weekend's match against Orlando City at the Exploria Stadium, Facundo Torres scored twice, Ramiro Enrique scored once, and Xherdan Shaqiri added a goal in response, sending Klopas's team tumbling back to earth.
The only teams in the Eastern Conference that have done worse than Chicago Fire thus far in 2023 are Toronto and Inter Miami. The hosts' 23 points only put them in 13th place in the rankings, and only three of their previous 14 games have resulted in victories.
The less said about Nashville's recent road trip, the better. Gary Smith's club was sent home by Montreal and Columbus Crew without scoring a goal, but Randall Leal dusted off his sharpshooting gear to get his team back on track at GEODIS Park.
Nashville has certainly found success at home, and their second-place finish in the Eastern Conference is due in large part to their six straight MLS victories at GEODIS Park.
Smith's team has only won three games against their opponents so far this season, and they haven't kept a clean sheet in seven straight away games, but they still have the meanest defence in MLS thanks to their total of just 16 goals conceded.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Chicago Fire vs Nashville kick-off time
| Date: | Jul 8, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT |
| Venue: | Soldier Field |
Chicago Fire and Nashville face off on Jul 8 at Soldier Field. Kickoff is set for 8:30 pm Eastern Time (ET), or 5:30 pm Pacific Time (PT).
How to watch Chicago Fire vs Nashville online - TV channels & live streams
| Apple TV | Watch here |
The game will not be broadcast live on TV but will be available to stream live online through Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
Team news & squads
Chicago team news
Jairo Torres and Victor Bezerra will once again be unavailable for selection this weekend due to injuries. Kei Kamara is expected to start up front with Brian Gutierrez on the left wing in place of Chris Mueller.
Chicago Fire possible XI: Brady; Souquet, Teran, Pineda, M Navarro; F. Navarro, Gimenez; Herbers, Shaqiri, Gutierrez; Kamara.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Gal, Brady |
| Defenders | Souquet, Czichos, M. Navarro, Ornsberg, Teran, Dean, Burks, Reynolds |
| Midfielders | Haile-Selassie, Gutierrez, Herbers, Gimenez, Oregel, Casas, Pineda, A. Rodriguez, Torres, F. Navarro, Shaqiri |
| Forwards | Kamara, M. Rodriguez, Mueller |
Nashville team news
Nashville SC will again be without Nick DePuy, who has been struggling with injury from the start of the season. Hany Mukhtar has been MLS's top scorer so far with 13 goals and will start again.
Nashville SC possible XI: Willis; Moore, McNaughton, Maher, Lovitz; McCarty, Godoy, Muyi, Mukhtar; Shaffelburg, Bunbury.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Willis, Pannico |
| Defenders | Zimmerman, Maher, Lovitz, Wyke, Bauer, Longmire, Moore |
| Midfielders | Gregus, Godoy, Shaffelburg, Picault, McCarty, Muyl, Perry, Washington, Haakenson, Leal |
| Forwards | Mukhtar, Zubak, Banbury |
Head-to-Head Record
Chicago has never won against Nashville, as the Music has won two of the four games they have played so far. Earlier this season, Nashville won 3-0 at Geodis Park.

