The Chicago Fire are in red hot form at home and will look to change their fortune on the road against D.C. United Saturday. The Men In Red took care of business Wednesday night against Colorado with a highly professional performance. The midweek matchup had all the makings of a Fire slip-up game but this rekindled Fire team handled the last place Rapids 3-0. Granted the opposition was soft but Wednesday’s performance featured dominant passing and finishing. The Fire are turning heads at Toyota Park and setting club records. A win in D.C. Saturday would be their first on the road and a big step towards the playoffs.
Chicago Fire Look for First Road Win in Nation’s Capital
Nikolic First to Ten
Chicago Fire striker Nemanja Nikolic collected a brace and set a club record Wednesday night. The two goal night put the Hungarian national player at ten goals in 11 games, the fastest to the double digit mark by a Chicago Fire player. The former Legia Warsaw player was the 2015-16 Golden Boot winner and is on pace to win another in his debut MLS season. The Serbian-born forward has also been noticeably and consistently team first in his answers to media questions. After Wednesday’s two goal game he spoke very humbly
”I think that the most important thing is that the team plays really [well],” he said. “I [didn’t] do anything special. I think that my teammates [did] a fantastic job for me, I’m in the right place all the time. Today, I didn’t really have a difficult job to finish the action”.
The Fire Have Leveled Up
Chicago fans should feel good about Niko’s designated player signing and his multi year contract. Nikolic’s transfer and early success speaks volumes to the Fire’s reborn player recruitment. The club has had a poor record with designated players for many years. What is more astonishing still is that Nikolic is just one of the four 2017 season big name signings.
Not only that, but the team is getting much more consistent play out of David Accam. The Ghanaian currently has five goals and four assists through 11 games played in 2017. At the pace he’s going, Accam is on pace to have his most productive season yet for the Fire, something that can only help the team maintain their current hot run of form. Even head coach Veljko Paunovic noted recently that he’s been hugely impressed with Accam’s play this season.
Does the Fire Stay Hot After an Airplane Ride to D.C.?
The Fire are coming off back-to-back wins at home. The two triumphs came Saturday against the slow-start reigning champion Seattle Sounders and again midweek against the last-place sad-state Tim Howard led Colorado Rapids. If the form shown this week continues after a plane ride to the nation’s capital, the Men In Red should collect all three points. Earning wins on the road has been a vexing hurdle for the Fire for years now. A hurdle which will have to be overcome in order to reach their playoff bound goals.
