The Fire II host Indy Eleven in a U.S. Open Cup match at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, with kickoff slated for 7PM today.

The match is one of the first set of competitive matches ever between MLS Next Pro (technically a third-division league) and second-division USL Championship. Compared to USL League One teams like Forward Madison that the Fire II faced in the previous round, USL Championship sides have more expensive rosters, and larger coaching and technical staffs to support the team. Many play in larger stadiums and they frequently do so in front of larger crowds than those of League One. Many USL Championship teams have active academies to foster young talent, much like MLS teams, and Indy Eleven is currently in the process of building a gleaming new 20,000 seat soccer-specific stadium.

In short, Eleven should prove a sterner test than Forward Madison. Indy, like Madison and the Fire II, made their league’s playoffs last year after missing out the year prior, but failed to advance in the postseason.

Both the Fire and Indy Eleven (as well as Forward Madison) have a shared history, with Peter Wilt amongst their finders, but the connections between Indy and the Fire are not just historic: Elliot Collier, a Fire member from 2018-2021, is now on Indy Eleven’s squad after having spent part of 2018 on loan from the Fire to Indy, and Laurence Wotton, the Fire’s highly regarded SuperDraft pick from this past offseason, is currently on loan from the Fire to Indianapolis, and may make his U.S. Open Cup debut.

Can the Fire II’s young, talented roster measure up to a higher division opponent?

How will both teams line up?

Indy Eleven

Record (league): 1-1-4, 10 GF, 15 GA, -5 GD, 4 pts

Indy Eleven are still adjusting to the systems of new Head Coach Sean McAuley. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he was, for a period of time, slated to be Minnesota United’s interim head coach in MLS this season. McAuley was promoted to interim head coach with just two games left in the MLS regular season after the Loons parted with longtime bench boss Adrian Heath, and in the offseason Minnesota announced that they would be keeping McAuley as…. Interim head coach.

Shortly thereafter, McAuley announced he was departing the organization and just three days later was named manager of Indy Eleven, in his first full-time position at the helm, and has since set about trying to mold a team with a lot of talented pieces into a squad capable of competing at the highest levels of their league.

To that end, he’s changed the way the team plays: Last year the team typically played either out of a 4-3-3 where, in practice, one of the wingers was tasked as a creator while the other acted like a second forward, or a 4-4-2 with two forwards proper.

Since McAuley took to the bench, he’s continued to play four in the back but the team has lined up a 4-2-3-1 although the team has also played out of a 4-3-3 and a 4-1-3-2. Regardless, the plan seems to be to play centrally more and enable the fullbacks to join the attack.

So far, the results have been mixed: The team’s managed to score 10 goals, fourth most in the 24 team league, but is dead last in the league with 15 goals conceded, 2 more than 2nd last Miami FC and one of just three teams in the double digits. The team can score, and the midfield does a great job joining in the attack, but at times the defensive midfielders or wingbacks overcommit and the result is a goal against.

Still, they have a talented midfield group, talented attackers and plenty of skill throughout their roster. To wit: Elliot Collier has 82 minutes in five appearances through Eleven’s first games, averaging 16.4 minutes per appearance, slightly less than the 19.7 he averaged with the Fire. They have guys that can play.

For a closer look at Indy Eleven’s squad and support, check out our Opposition Report with David Ziemba.

Chicago Fire II

Record (league): 1-0-3 (2), 9 GF, 7GA +2 GD, 8 pts

The Fire II had a wild match over the weekend, playing league-leading New York Red Bulls II to a 5-5 draw in regulation before losing the extra point in PKs.  The Fire I were down 4-0 heading into first half stoppage time before Harold Osorio pulled two goals back before the teams headed to the locker rooms. A few minutes after play resumed, he completed his hat trick – the fastest in league history. An own goal put the hosts up by two before team captain David Poreba scored a brace of his own to ensure the Fire remained undefeated in regulation so far this season.

It’s a young squad with plenty of talent and not a small amount of gumption: Not many teams can say they erased a four goal deficit.

One open question is which first team players will bolster Head Coach Ludovic Tallandiaer’s young squad. Given the team just allowed four goals in the opening half, reinforcements on defense could potentially be helpful, particularly considering the youth of the Fire II’s lineup.

That correlates well with the first team players eligible for this match. Of first team regulars, Arnoud Souquet is no longer eligible, having played 145 league minutes, but Wyatt Omsberg is available for a second cameo, as is Federico navarro and even Andrew Gutman, though reports so far seem to be that he has yet to be cleared for full training. On top of those defenders, forwards Georgios Koutsias and Tom Barlow are eligible for selection, as is Spencer Richey.

Still: At some point, you have to question what actual advantage parachuting in players who don’t practice with the team day in, day out provides over having the normal matchday squad. The shirt is Fire II’s; the crest says Fire II (though the II is almost hidden). It’s one to send first team players to the reserve team to help them develop their skills; it’s another to send reinforcements for a matchday.

We’re likely to see, at most, one or two first team players in this match, and it would not at all be surprising if it was less.  One player that won’t be available: Forward Vitaliy Hlyut, a 15-year-old who’s availed himself against much more experienced opponents so far in the Open Cup. He has been called up to the U.S. U-16 national team, so won’t be available to face Indianapolis.

What to Expect

The level of USL Championship is simply better than League One. The teams have better scouting, better player development, larger coaching and technical staff. Many felt that Sean McAuley should have been given the chance to be a full-fledged MLS head coach this season.

This will simply put be a harder test than Forward Madison was. In that match, although Madison did not look out of place, Fire II held the run of play for virtually the entirety of the game. They were up 1-0 for most of the match, but certainly, had a Madison ball been played a bit better, had a kick – in a game where rain, and then snow were cascading down on the pitch – been slightly better, it could have easily become a 1-1 match, at which point it’s anyone’s game, and a single kick, a lucky deflection could have become definitive.

The run of play in this match should be much more equal. The Fire II squad, taken individually, almost certainly has a higher ceiling than that of Indy Eleven’s. There are players on Chicago’s team that arrived on transfer fees that would make a USL Championship GM blush – and which would likely give paychecks to their entire roster for the year. Collectively, Tallandier has had much more time to mold his Chicago squad than McAuley has had in Indianapolis, yet the fact is that Indy Eleven’s team has greater experience individually and the players – many of whom still have substantial upsides – are less about upside and more about what they’ve proven they can do.

The teams did meet in preseason, where Indy won, but neither team fielded a true starting 11 for significant sections of the match and Indy Eleven’s undefeated preseason has turned into just one win in their first six matches.

Both teams have substantial offensive firepower, and both are prone to defensive lapses that can give opponents ample opportunities, so this match promises to be entertaining, regardless of the result.

The Fire II have the potential to win this match – they likely have the best chance of any Next Pro squad at advancing, based on their talent and performances – but the match will not be easy and in the end, the Fire II will likely once again be fielding a number of very young professionals against a much more seasoned opponent.