“It’s going to be all red”: Chicago Fire vs Toluca FC Leagues Cup Preview
For the first time this season, the Fire are in a literal must-win game: For the Fire to guarantee a top-two finish in the group and a place in the knockout rounds, they must beat Toluca in regulation by two or more goals. If they win by a single goal or defeats Toluca in penalty kicks, which happen after every match that is tied in regulation during this tournament, there are scenarios where the Fire can still advance but they'll need help from Sporting KC in the final match of the group stage with the Fire watching on from home. Regardless of the math, the Fire know for sure that anything short of besting Toluca will end their tournament.
It’s the first match of the year where the team faces a must-win match, but it comes against an opponent that is both high-powered and motivated to win.
Note: Given the nature of a tournament competition, coverage for Leagues Cup matches will be slightly abbreviated compared to league matches.
The Storyline
The last time the Fire were in a must-win position, it was away against New York City FC, when a win would have sent the team into the postseason. It didn’t work out, and the team’s season ended. This time, the team has to emerge victorious over Toluca FC if they want a shot at staying alive in the Leagues Cup and making it to the knockout rounds.
The stakes are obviously lower here: A loss just sees the team out of commission until their in New York on August 24th when their regular season resumes. Questions remain about the significance of the Leagues Cup tournament to both teams and fans, with some Supporters Groups around the league choosing to boycott the tournament because of the perceived connection between the schedule congestion that it creates and MLS’s decision to reduce first-team participation in the U.S. Open Cup.
Many teams from both Liga MX and MLS have played rotated – or even experimental – lineups in the tournament, with many backup goalkeepers seeing their first competitive matches of the season and many reserve players called in from teams in both leagues.
The Fire, too, fielded a lineup that included a player from Chicago Fire II for the first time in club history in the starting lineup, as Jaylen Shannon was in the XI against Sporting Kansas City. The changes weren’t entirely voluntary, with Fire Head Coach Frank Klopas explaining that it wasn’t voluntary, because players were “under the weather,” issues that might have also forced Shannon’s early departure from the match.
Those issues, seemingly, are in the rear-view, and Klopas will be able to field closer to a choice lineup, though not one featuring Xherdan Shaqiri, the man named captain at the beginning of he season, who just returned to Chicago following his participation in the Swiss National Team’s Euros campaign that in early July and has only had limited time to train with the squad since returning. Allan Arigoni and Hugo Cuypers, too, will be absent against Toluca, following planned time off given that both players came to the team midway through campaigns in Europe and haven’t had a break.
The players that will be in the lineup, including Tobias Salquist and Andrew Gutman, both of whom made their returns for the Fire after lengthy injuries, with other players’ returns, such as Federico Navarro, are imminent.
Against Puebla last year, the crowd was mixed. Against Club América, the crowd heavily favored the club from Mexico City. Against Toluca, a team with a rich history but not nearly the following of the superclub? Frank Klopas said, largely in jest, “I expect the crowd to wear all red because Toluca, their colors are red… that’s why it’s going to be a home game. People watching the game, they won’t know if they’re supporting the Fire or Toluca. For me it’s going to be red and the Fire’s red.”
The lifelong coach went on to talk about the size of the Hispanic community in the city and noted the support from homegrown players from that community, including Brian Gutiérrez, Javier Casas, Mauricio Pineda and Sergio Oregel, get when they step on the field for the Fire. In truth, though there will be diehard Toluca fans traveling to the match, many fans will have divided loyalties and, happened for the team last year the team’s match against Inter Miami in October, where a record number of fans turned out, many in pink Miami jerseys, but cheered each time the Fire scored, it’s possible that the victor will carry the crowd.
“Tomorrow,” he said, “I expect a lot of red on the field, so for me, I’ll tell everyone that they came out to support the Fire.” With a win, that just might happen.
Match Information and How to Watch
Date and Time: Thursday, August 1, 2024, 8:00 PM CTLocation: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, Ill.Forecast: 80’F expected at kickoff, winds at 7 mph, 75% cloud cover and 60% chance of precipitation with thunderstorms likelyTV: Apple TV – Free, UniMás, FS1
