Halfway: Chicago Fire vs L.A. Galaxy Match 17 Preview

As the Fire host the L.A. Galaxy at the halfway mark of their season, the team finds itself exploring the depths of soccer purgatory: On a winless streak that now stretches to nine matches, just two shy of the team’s all-time record, but also one game shy of an undefeated streak, having drawn their last two.

A victory against the Galaxy ahead of the international break won’t do much for the Fire in the standings – regardless of results elsewhere, they’ll be still be 14th in the East on Sunday – but give the team – players, staff – as well as supporters and fans some sense of relief, if not quite joy going into the two-week international break.

Series History

All time: 17W-9D-25LLast Match: August 26, 2023: L.A. Galaxy 1-3 Fire at Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson Ca.Last Home Match: April 16, 2022: Fire 0-0 L.A. Galaxy at Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.

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L.A. Galaxy

On Wednesday, the Galaxy hosted FC Dallas and walked away with a 3-1 victory off of a brace by Dejan Jovelić (one a penalty) and a second half stoppage time goal by Riqui Puig after Dallas had gone down to ten men. The victory was the second in a row for L.A., who ended a mini-slump that saw the team go winless in four (all draws). Now they’re undefeated in six, with their only two losses on the season coming at either end of April; their most recent (and only road) loss was back on April 27th.

Fire

The good: The Fire now have points in consecutive games after a 1-1 come-from-behind draw against Orlando City. The bad: They’re still winless in nine and haven’t held a lead for a single minute of competitive soccer since their victory over the Dynamo on April 6th – 810 minutes of competitive soccer.

The Storyline

No, you aren’t imagining it: It’s officially the worst start in team history for the Fire, who have always managed at least a point-per-game pace through the first 17 matches of the season, but with just 12 points going into the 17th match, are now going to fall short of that.

It’s been a depressing half-season of soccer for everyone around the team, given the sense of hope that many felt going in to the campaign after spending team-record money to bring in Hugo Cuypers in the offseason and winning Kellyn Acosta, one of the most sought-after free agents in league history. That hope has been shattered and the team is now looking for just their third win of the season, seventeen matches in, as the league’s third most expensive roster (possibly second once transfer fees are factored in) has scored more than one goal just three times this year – none more recently than April 6th.

If the Fire are looking for positive inspiration, they might well turn to their opponent on Saturday: The L.A. Galaxy became MLS’s first global brand when they signed David Beckham in 2007, and cemented their role on the back of championships early last decade before entering a period of stagnation.

The lows never got as low as they have for the Fire – the Galaxy’s longest postseason drought was just three seasons, ending in 2009 – but the team still felt stuck in time: Under the decade-long tenure of Chris Klein as Team President, the club continued to pursue a strategy of signing aging stars without much thought for roster cohesiveness, and the results on the pitch suffered. The team hasn’t won more than one playoff game in a season since winning MLS Cup in 2014 – Klein’s second year in charge of the team.

After fan protests, Klein was removed from his position and the team named Will Kuntz as General Manager last December. Kuntz brought in forwards Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil amongst others while allowing 15 players to depart – radically reworking the squad. Out are famous names like Chicharito, in are in-prime players like Ghanaian international Paintsil.

So far, the results speak for themselves: The Galaxy currently sit second in the West, just two points back of Real Salt Lake and have just two losses on the year, tied for fewest in the league.

The team isn’t perfect – the defense is notably porous, something the Fire will hope to exploit -  but it’s still a drastic turnaround in just one transfer window from the team that finished 13th in the West last season with 36 points (four fewer than the Fire).

The match is the only home game for the team in June, and the last time the Fire will get a chance to perform in front of their home crowd before season ticket renewals kick in. Can they take advantage of the fact that the Galaxy’s back line is still a work in progress and give the home crowd a win before in their only match at Soldier Field over the next month?

Galaxy Players to Watch

Riqiui Puig: The 24-year-old Spanish midfielder is in his second full season in the league, and is a key part of the Galaxy’s buildup. He’s been described as a “pass before the pass guy, rather than a true No. 10”, creating space and opportunities for others, which is fair, as far as it goes, but Puig has nine assists this season, already eclipsing last year’s total of eight. Combined with his seven goals last season (and five so far this year), he’s more than just a behind-the-scenes creator, but a legitimate threat in his own right.

Dejan Joveljić: Jovelić, also 24 years old, is in his fourth season with the Galaxy and with the team’s improved play, seems primed for a breakout year. His nine goals so far pace the team, and he’s on track to shatter his MLS record of 11, set back in 2022 (though he made those 11 tallies in just 983 minutes; and he’s already played 1,000 minutes this year).

Fire Keys to Victory

• Pucks on nets: Numerous times over the past two seasons, one of the keys has been for the Fire to shoot more. Well, against Orlando, they did –with 19 shots in total, but just three landed on target. Not every shot has to be perfectly lined up, and the data still shows that players shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good here, but really: More shots are needed, and the Galaxy’s defense should allow the Fire to get shots on frame (they’ve allowed 81 so far this season, 4th most in MLS, and just one fewer than the Fire).

• Stay in position: The Galaxy are second in the league in passes completed and attempted after Inter Miami. Unlike the Fire, who typically rely on crosses in the penalty area to generate offense, the Galaxy rely on passes -  typically short ones -  into the penalty area to generate offense. The Fire held off D.C.’s attack partly because they were able to successfully man-mark Benteke out of advantageous positions. The Galaxy’s talent level is greater than D.C.’s, and they have far more threats on the pitch at any given point, but that level of defensive commitment is key at denying the Galaxy entry into the box and with it, prime scoring positions.

Panel Predictions

Alex Calabrese

Prediction: Fire 0-3 Galaxy

Jiggly Carollo

"I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign. But it's my destiny to be the king of pain." How do we not have a new coach? Why couldn't we get a better coach in the offseason? Why couldn't we get a better GM? The Fire have no chance against the Galaxy. They have no chance of figuring out tactics, either. It's bad out here.

Prediction: Fire 0-3 Galaxy

Christian Hirschboeck

Prediction: Fire 1-4 Galaxy

Tim Hotze

The Fire should be able to get one (1) past L.A.’s defense. Hey, at least the team won’t end on a goalless drought.

Prediction: Fire 1-3 Galaxy

Matt Shabelman

fireeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Prediction: Fire 4-1 Galaxy

Match Information and How to Watch

Date and Time: Saturday, June 1, 2024, 7:30 PM CTLocation: Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.Forecast: 62’F expected at kickoff, winds at 9 mph, 72% cloud cover and a 23% chance of precipitationTV: Apple TV – MLS Season Pass