The Chicago Fire are on the way to the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for a record-tying eleventh time. In what was perhaps their most complete performance of the year, the Men in Red dominated Orlando City 3-1 in this week’s quarterfinal game. The result felt a bit like revenge for the come from behind win Orlando snatched last time they were in Bridgeview. The Fire have now routed Orlando twice in the Open Cup in the past few years. It should come as no surprise to Fire supporters that this comprehensive performance came after the return of Shaun Maloney, David Accam, and Joevin Jones to the team. There were many positives to take from this game. Here are some things to watch for in the next few games for the Fire.
–Matt Watson has stepped his game up. Watson has always been a dependable, if uncreative force in the center of the park. A player whose only MLS goal was a deflected long shot, and who rarely picks up an assist is not someone you associate with the kind of sharp, incisive passing he showed on Wednesday night. Watson did not play a perfect game but his confidence was high. He played a quick ball over the top for one of the Fire goals, and helped the team going forward, often dictating the game’s tempo from the midfield. It was crucial that he perform well with Matt Polster at right back. Razvan Cocis isn’t going anywhere, but it’s good to have Watson in form to back up the starters.
–Polster is a quick study. His second game at right back was far more impressive than his first. He got up the field a bit and even shut down Kaka, who focused on the rookie for stretches of the game. He has impressed teammates, coaches, opponents, and fans by this point. As Jeff Larentowicz has said, Polster is playing like a veteran in his rookie season. His performance has also been more consistent than that of last year’s hyped up rookie, Harry Shipp – Which brings us to the next takeaway.
–Harry Shipp is more effective when he isn’t the main attraction. Shipp has looked lost in recent weeks, playing poor passes, trying to dribble through double teams, and serving bad corner kicks and free kicks. He has looked like a man trying to do too much. With a healthy Maloney and Patrick Nyarko, and the return of Joevin Jones and David Accam, Shipp is free to do what he does best – roam around, find space in the central channels, and play a killer ball in the final third of the field. With Jones overlapping, Maloney drifting higher, and Accam and Nyarko out wide, Shipp has a much easier time doing his job. In weeks past, he was asked to provide width to a narrow team, but his lack of speed and defending ability on the wing were devastating to Chicago. The most glaring example of this was in Columbus’ 1-0 victory in Chicago, where Ethan Finlay and Kei Kamara ran Shipp into the ground in the first half while the Crew dominated possession. Shipp looked totally different this week.
– The Open Cup is everything now. The only reasonable path for Chicago to win any hardware at all this season is the Open Cup. Win two more games and they can lift their fifth USOC trophy, reclaiming their title as Kings of the Cup. If they achieve that, they will also be qualified for the Concacaf Champions’ League. The club recognizes the potential benefits of this situation. For the semifinal in Philadelphia, the Fire are paying for travelling supporters’ tickets. A win there would set up a final against either RSL or Sporting KC.
This week we have learned about Didier Drogba’s preference for signing with Montreal. While the aging striker surely wants to speak French at work, Montreal also has a bit more to offer than many other MLS teams when recruiting players. They can point to their recent run in Champions’ League and show potential players photos of a sold out Azteca or Stade Olympique. If Chicago want to attract more big name players, appearing in CCL helps. Make no mistake, when Gio Dos Santos plays for LA against a Mexican club in a game that counts, it will be a big event.
Conveniently, it is easier for Chicago to win two cup games than to make a huge run in the league, which would require nearly a perfect winning percentage from here on out just to qualify for the playoffs. Fire fans should pay attention to the Open Cup this year, because it might be the only thing left worth paying attention to.
