After four matches, the Chicago Fire have posted their first win of the 2016 season. A goal from Kennedy Igboananike was enough and the Fire beat Philadelphia Union in wintry, windy, miserable conditions at Toyota Park. Veljko Paunovic will be able to breathe a little easier after earning his first victory in Chicago. More importantly, Chicago earned another clean sheet, and held the possession advantage for the first time this season.
The Fire were helped by Warren Creavalle earning two yellow cards in the first 47 minutes (both well deserved), but the win was a much needed result one month into the season. After having a week off for the international break, the Men in Red looked more comfortable with the ball, but still are having trouble creating chances and keeping possession for extended periods.
Chicago Fire beat Philadelphia on Matchday 4
After the last match, we discussed the performance of Jonathan Campbell, as well as the forward line. This week we’ll discuss the center backs a little more, and also touch on who has been creating chances with David Accam injured. The Ghanaian missed another match and has still not fully recovered from a leg injury.
Campbell and Kappelhof: the right combination?
After playing a 3-5-2 for a couple weeks, Paunovic sent his men out in a 4-2-3-1 in an effort to maintain better possession. Jonathan Campbell got the start next to Johan Kappelhof, and more than proved his worth in this match. Although Philadelphia hit the post three times, only one of those chances (Sapong in the 41st minute) could be pinned on poor marking by the center backs. (Two of them can be blamed on Matt Polster losing his mark.) Both center backs did well distributing the ball and keeping possession – Kappelhof had an 83% passing rate, and Campbell showed composure with the ball at his feet in some very tough moments. It is worth watching to see if Joao Meira can earn his starting spot back, or if Campbell is going to make it his own. Kappelhof was named to team of the week and is looking like the most reliable player on the back line so far.
Creator by committee:
Without a game changing #10, and without David Accam healthy, Chicago needs great team performances from their midfield in every match. In this one, Razvan Cocis got the start in the playmaker role – a decision that would have likely drawn ridicule had it been made by Frank Yallop. However, the Romanian did a serviceable job and drew Creavalle’s second yellow card. He also made two key passes and did a decent job of keeping the play moving. More importantly, Michael Stephens made the most of his opportunity in the starting 11. He was involved in the goal (he would have gotten the MLS 1.0 secondary assist) and covered a lot of ground offensively and defensively. Stephens, Cocis, and Polster looked comfortable playing as a trio in the center of the park, and rotated making runs forward, with Polster sitting deep more of the time.
John Goosens was also notable for the spark he provided off the bench. He replaced Arturo Alvarez in the 62nd minute and immediately created several chances, including a finish by Iggy which was called offside. The Dutchman directly took on defenders with feints and one-twos, and helped Chicago keep Philadelphia under pressure in the last half hour of the match.
At the end of the day, the midfield did a decent job creating chances, but lacked the cutting edge Accam provides. Philadelphia had ten men and still outshot Chicago 17-10. The best stat of the match for Chicago was their 80% passing rate. Their pass completion percentage was low in their first three matches, and this performance was an improvement. 80% should be the goal for any team, especially if they do not want to play on the counter for 90 minutes. Last year’s Fire were often under 75%, and this is a stat to watch in the future. There may be reinforcements coming but no matter who gets the start, this team needs attacking contributions from pretty much every midfielder if they want to keep winning matches. Against better teams, and teams with 11 players on the field, Chicago will need to be more incisive in the final third.
Next up for the Men in Red is a rematch at Yankee Stadium with New York City FC. The 4-3 loss to City in the first match of the season will surely be motivation to earn a result on the road, and a rapidly gelling back line will face a tough test in David Villa and Tommy MacNamara. A road win may be too much to hope for, but Chicago have a good chance to earn a draw next weekend.
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