Chicago Fire are coming off a spectacular match on the road against Columbus Crew in the US Open Cup. They have not been the most stable team so far, but they have been really trying lately. They will now return home for their next assignment, where they will play host to New England. New England are coming off a really tough blow in the US Open Cup as they were eliminated by a USL side.
Chicago Fire (5-7-2) were engaged in a really competitive match against Columbus on Wednesday, in the 4th round of the US Open Cup. The two teams were tied after the end of the regular time, and also score a goal each in the extra time to send the match to the penalty shootout. It was a nerve-wrecking shootout, with both teams having to shoot 11 penalties each in order for Chicago to eventually win. As far as the MLS is concerned, Chicago are sitting at the 8th spot of the Eastern Conference with 17 points, just two behind Orlando City.
New England (6-4-4) suffered a hickup in the US Open Cup just like we predicted. They were hosted by USL side Louisville City and even though they took the lead twice in that match they eventually lost by 2-3. New England have been in pretty poor form lately, as they have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions (1-2-2). They are now sitting at the 5th spot of the Eastern Conference with 22 points, four points behind Columbus. They have been mediocre at best on the road (1-3-2), having conceded multiple goals on five occasions.
