With the flame of the Fire’s playoff hopes all but extinguished, they host Toronto FC, a team that the Fire managed to best in June.

Toronto’s loss to the Fire was the first of six in a row for the Canadian side, sending the team’s once-promising season into a tailspin from which they’ve only partly recovered. Toronto currently hold on to one of the final postseason spots but no longer control; their destiny, with Philadelphia and Montréal able to surpass the Reds.

A loss by the Fire will mathematically eliminate them from postseason contention, extending the team’s playoff drought to seven seasons – one shy of tying the league record set by Toronto FC as they failed to make the playoffs from their entry to the league in 2007 through 2014.

Series History

All time: 12W-12D-14LLast Match: March 16, 2024: Fire 4-3 Fire at BMO Field, Toronto, Ont..Last Home Match: July 15, 2023: Fire 1-0 Toronto at Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.

Recent Form

Toronto FC

Believe it or not, the Reds played for a trophy midweek, having made it to the Canadian Championship final. Playing a first-choice squad, the team was tied 0-0 at full time but fell to Vancouver in penalty kicks. The team has also lost its two most recent outings in MLS play, 2-0 decisions to the Columbus Crew and Colorado Rapids, putting Toronto on their first three-game losing streak across all competitions since the streak that started with the loss to the Fire in June and eventually extended to six games.

Fire

For the second game in a row, the Fire outshot and out-possessed their opponent but couldn’t find the back of the net, falling 2-0 to CF Montréal.

The Storyline

The Fire are still alive in the postseason hunt – but only just. Without a win against Toronto, the Fire will be mathematically eliminated from contention; a win by Philadelphia does the same, but the point is almost academic: The Fire are, for all intents and purposes, out.

The team has 29 points and three games – including this one – remaining, giving them a  ceiling of 38 points. The line is currently at 36 points, with Montréal on 30 points and three teams sitting with 33, and all teams between the Fire and the postseason have a game in hand.

Still, no one is talking about going quietly into the night. Asked about what to expect from the team’s remaining three games, Fire Head Coach Frank Klopas said “I think it's important to do whatever we can to finish on a positive note, to leave a good picture, especially we are playing at home, to compete hard and to leave everything on the field and to bring that intensity, energy, and commitment. That's nonnegotiable.”

It was a sentiment shared by Gastón Giménez, who has served as team captain for every game for the team since July 7th – one of three players alongside Kellyn Acosta and Fabian Herbers to have worn the armband after Xherdan Shaqiri’s departure from the team, telling reporters “It's super important to finish strong and to finish the three remaining games in the best way possible…. So we have to go out there every game and give it everything we have, leave everything on the field.”

For the Fire, as a collective, it’s about finishing with heads held high, and maybe, just maybe remembering that miracles do happen.

For Toronto, the stakes are more straightforward: Though the team also no longer controls its own destiny, a strong finish will likely see the team through to the postseason – a big turnaround for the 2023 Wooden Spoon winners. The team can also take a step towards sharing an infamous honor: Toronto FC has the the longest playoff drought in MLS history, having missed it eight seasons in a row starting with its expansion year in 2007. A victory – thereby eliminating the Fire – would stretch the Fire's drought to seven seasons, the second-longest in league history and just one short of Toronto's mark.

Toronto Players to Watch

Federico Bernardeshi: Although paid significantly less than the other Italian Designated Player on Toronto FC’s roster, Bernardeschi has been the one producing for TFC, leading the team with 8 goals and 6 assists, for a total of 14 goal contributions, double the next highest on the squad.

Sean Johnson: After winning MLS Cup with New York City FC, the former Fire and sometime U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper affectionately known to Fire fans as “Milkman” is Toronto’s starting GK. Despite his age, he’s put up decent numbers for the Reds this season. Although the 35-year-old Johnson remains under contract with Toronto through next year and so will likely face the Fire in Chicago at least one more time, this could very well be his last match at SeatGeek, his home office for seven seasons, from 2010-2016.

Fire Keys to Victory

• Just go out there and play: If there were a magic tactical key that would unlock the Fire’s potential, it likely would’ve been found by now. At this point, the tropes come out – mentality, about perseverance and never giving up – but honestly, there isn’t necessarily a lot more to it than that.
• Keep ‘em running: Toronto played in the Canadian Championship final on Wednesday and with a CONCACAF Champions Cup spot on the line, rolled out a first-choice lineup. They may have hoped that they could put the game away early and rotate starters off, but it was not to be: The game remained tied through regulation, forcing most of Toronto’s best players to go the distance  Although Giménez noted that the players were “used to playing every three days games like this at this level,”  the truth is, it’s still short rest and tired legs. Keep Toronto moving and the Fire should have the edge later in the match.

Panel Predictions

Alex Calabrese

Prediction: Fire 0-2 Toronto

Jiggly Carollo

Prediction: Fire 1-1 Toronto

Tim Hotze

Lightning can strike twice, right?

Prediction: Fire 4-1 Toronto

Matt Shabelman

Prediction: Fire 2-1 Toronto

Match Information and How to Watch

Date and Time: Saturday, September 28, 2024, 7:30 PM CTLocation: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, Ill.Forecast: 69’F expected at kickoff, winds at 14 mph, 19% cloud cover and chance of precipitation; showers possible in afternoon and in late eveningTV: Apple TV – MLS Season Pass