How to Watch Chicago Fire vs. FC Cincinnati: Who will referee the game?
The Chicago Fire are back at Soldier Field tonight, and they'll be donning the famous red jerseys for the first time since 2019 when they take on reigning Supporters Shield winner FC Cincinnati. More than 25,000 fans, including a sold-out supporters' section, will be in attendance for what promises to be a festival on the Lakefront.
The Fire are searching for their first three points of the season after they opened 2024 with a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Philadelphia Union. A first half screamer from homegrown midfielder Brian Gutiérrez opened the scoring late in the first half before Fabian Herbers gave his team a late lead in the final minutes of the match. The tie at Subaru Park saw debuts for star additions Hugo Cuypers and Kellyn Acosta, as well as Allan Arigoni, Andrew Gutman, Tom Barlow, and Chase Gasper.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati are also keen on finding their first win of the MLS season after a frustrating home draw with Toronto FC last week. Cincy are currently balancing MLS play with the CONCACAF Champions Cup, but were able to heavily rotate in their midweek second leg demolition of FC Cavalier. After coming up short of reaching MLS Cup last season with a crushing 3-2 collapse against local rival Columbus Crew, Pat Noonan's team will be looking to compete for trophies once again.
Who's available for the Fire?
The Fire will boast several key players, and will likely see DPs Hugo Cuypers, Gastón Giménez, and Xherdan Shaqiri in the starting lineup. Gutiérrez, fresh off of his golazo in Philly, will also start off of the left wing, with Acosta also potentially making his first start in the midfield double pivot. New center back signing Tobias Salquist, who was a healthy scratch from last week's roster as he builds up to full game fitness, is unlikely to start, but could make his first appearance in the 20-man squad as Mauricio Pineda's backup.
Four players have been ruled out for the Fire due to injury. Most notably, starting left back Andrew Gutman (upper leg) is expected to miss a few weeks, with backup fullbacks Chase Gasper and Jonathan Dean serving as possible replacements. Victor Bezerra (right upper leg), Javi Casas (left lower leg), and Bryan Dowd (left lower leg) also miss out.
Who's available for FC Cincinnati?
Cincinnati will be close to full strength, and should field their strongest XI against the Fire. MLS MVP Lucho Acosta, Miles Robinson, Yuya Kubo, and Sergio Santos were among the players who got a rest in CONCACAF play during the week, while Aaron Boupendza and Matt Miazga were substituted at halftime. Ex-Sockers keeper Roman Celentano will probably start in goal, too, ensuring there will be Naperville representatives in both nets.
Nick Hagglund (hamstring) and Alec Kann (hand) have both been ruled out for the visitors, while Kipp Keller is questionable. Miazga had been slated to miss the game due to suspension for allegedly entering the referee's locker room after a playoff game last season, but that has been lifted.
Who will referee the game?
Due to the ongoing PSRA lockout, the bulk of usual MLS referees are not officiating league games, and replacement refs are being used. While the standard of the replacement officials has been a point of discussion around the league for the last week, Muhammad Hassan performed admirably in his top-flight debut in the Fire's season opener last week in Philadelphia despite difficult conditions.
Tonight's referee will be Bosnian-American Mario Marić, who made his own MLS debut in Charlotte FC's 1-0 win over New York City FC. Marić has been the center referee for three professional matches in the U.S., with the other two coming in MLS Next Pro and USL League One. He has handed out fourteen yellow cards and one red across the three matches.
How to watch the game:
Tonight's game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. central time and will be streamed exclusively on Apple TV via the MLS Season Pass. Tony Husband will be on the call in English alongside analyst Ross Smith. The game will also be available over the radio in Chicago in English and Spanish on WLS-890 AM and WBTO 1200 AM respectively.
Read More:
https://meninred97.com/back-in-red-chicago-fire-vs-fc-cincinnati-match-2-preview/
https://meninred97.com/why-xherdan-shaqiri-will-captain-the-fire-in-2024/
https://meninred97.com/fire-vs-fc-cincinnati-tactics-and-starting-xi/
