Both teams are getting desperate for points as the Chicago Fire get ready to host DC United in an MLS Eastern Conference battle on Wednesday night. At home, the Fire is a slight favorite with a +111 moneyline, while DC’s moneyline is set at +225. There is also a +265 moneyline for a draw and an over/under of 2.5 goals.
Chicago will try to bounce back on Wednesday from an egregious 5-1 defeat in Nashville over the weekend. The puzzling part of that loss is that it came on the heels of the Fire winning back-to-back matches and finally getting their season on track after a dreadful start. Of course, Chicago is still third from the bottom in the Eastern Conference, taking just 11 points from 13 matches.
Of course, DC United isn’t in much better shape, sitting on 16 points after 13 matches. DC is also coming off a tough loss, giving up an 83rd-minute goal in a 2-1 loss to Philadelphia. It was United’s second loss in their last three matches, although DC has a 7-1 win over Toronto sandwiched in between those two defeats.
Find the Spark
The task for DC United is rediscovering the scoring spark that they had in that 7-1 win over Toronto. Despite 56% of the possession against Philadelphia, United managed just three shots on goal, with their only goal coming on a penalty kick. It was a far cry from the Toronto match when United scored two goals in the first 10 minutes and got seven goals from six different players.
The issue for United is they’ve yet to end any consistent goal-scoring threats outside of Ola Kamara, who has scored five goals in eight matches. Kamara will miss Wednesday’s match while dealing with a personal matter, while Paul Arriola is also unavailable while at the Gold Cup with the US National Team. United will also be missing defenders Brendan Hines-Ike, Steve Birnbaum, and Donovan Pines, so they are a little short-handed at both ends of the field.
Where Are the Goals?
It’s hard to figure out what happened to the Fire over the weekend other than Johan Kappelhof picking up a red card in the 14th minute to put Chicago down a player. The Fire had scored three goals in three consecutive matches coming into their matchup with Nashville but had limited attacking prowess while playing down a man. The key to their offense remains midfielder Alvaro Medran, who has registered five assists in his last four matches to spark the Fire’s attack.
Of course, Chicago has no player with more than three goals on the season, so their finishing needs work. They also have one of the worst defensive records in the league, conceding 23 goals in 13 matches. Things won’t get much easier on Wednesday night with Kappelhof suspended after his red card and Francisco Calvo unavailable while on international duty with Costa Rica.
Something’s Gotta Give
Neither team has a lot of attacking prowess heading into this match, especially with Kamara and Arriola out for DC. But Chicago has far more concerns on the defensive end, which could allow United to steal a goal at some point. Bet on DC to earn a slim 1-0 win over the Fire on Wednesday.
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