Previewing Houston Dynamo at Chicago Fire with MIR97
(image via Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports)
The Houston Dynamo are headed to the Windy City for a match up with the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field tomorrow night. We talked to our friend Alex Calabrese from Men In Red 97 to get some insight on the Fire ahead of tomorrow’s match.
Bayou City Soccer (BCS): The Fire are coming off a 3-0 loss to Atlanta and have just one win this season. What has been some of the cause for the slow start?
Men In Red 97 (MIR): There are a number of places that blame could be placed for the poor start, and fans, players, and media would certainly give you very different answers. For one, the Fire have had an incredibly difficult schedule, including road games at Philadelphia, Columbus, and Atlanta, as well as tough home tests in Cincinnati and Montréal. There has also been an adjustment period for the array of new additions, such as DP striker Hugo Cuypers, midfielder Kellyn Acosta, and defender Tobias Salquist, while an injury crisis has ravaged the left back position. Apart from the Atlanta game, in which the Fire were totally outplayed, they've been competitive even against these top teams, but seem to be lacking ideas in the final third, often leaving Cuypers on an island up front.
BCS: Xherdan Shaqiri has seemed to struggle out of the gate this season and came off the bench last week. Is he going to be able to turn it around for Chicago this year or could his time with the Fire be coming to an end?
MIR: Shaqiri is in the final year of his three-year DP deal, and it is hard to imagine he'll be sticking around much longer. Despite a fairly respectable but still underwhelming debut season in 2022, he is bordering on a bonafide bust, having failed to live up to the extreme hype and hefty $32 million investment. It would be no surprise if the legendary Swiss attacker is once again benched against Houston this weekend, as Brian Gutiérrez has outperformed him for the last 18 months, and Fabian Herbers has shown a level of form and desire that Shaqiri has struggled to match.
BCS: Chicago has given up 11 goals this season. Has the defense struggled or what else is causing them to concede more than twice per match?
MIR: There has been both good reasons and fluky reasons for goals. On the good reasons side, their transition defense has been too easy to break down. That leads back to the mobility problem. The center back pairing is new, and there is some work there to be done in those situations. The other reason has been set piece defense, but only one goal has come off of a first phase. The other set piece goals have felt fluky. The penalty call on Paul Marie was extremely soft last week, and with the regular refs returning, we should see fewer calls like that.
BCS: DP striker Hugo Cuypers was brought in this offseason and has two goals this season. How does Cuypers fit into this system and do the Fire have enough chance creators around him to maximize his ability?
MIR: The question of how Cuypers fits into the system is one Fire fans have been asking as well. When he's gotten opportunities, he's shown his quality, and off the ball, Cuypers has been an immense upgrade, but without quality service, goals are not going to come easy. The Belgian has hardly seen the ball in front of goal, with touches inside the opposing penalty box usually in the single digits every game. Still, with Gutiérrez still yet to hit full stride this season and Shaqiri waiting to come into form, there's hope that the producers in the midfield and out wide can help provide more opportunities for the big man up top.
BCS: Chicago have allowed 13 goals this season, tied for most in the league. What has gone wrong for their back line and do you think they can turn things around?
MIR: The Fire have not lacked individual quality at the back, but organization has been poor this season. With constant changes to the back line due to injury and suspension, the group hasn't been able to find a consistent rhythm, leading to miscommunication and less productivity playing out of the back. Rafa Czichos, too, has not shown the level he did in previous years, with his lapses in judgement a bit contributor to some of the Fire's defensive woes.
BCS: Do the Fire have any injuries coming into this match and what do you expect for a lineup against the Dynamo Saturday?
MIR: The aforementioned injury crisis at left back creates a big weak spot for the Fire. Andrew Gutman was injured less than two minutes into the season opener and is still yet to return, while Chase Gasper recently went down hurt against the New England Revolution. This means right back Jonathan Dean will likely start on the left side.
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We want to thank Alex for his time and wish our friends in Chicago the best of luck tomorrow night.
