The Fire complete their three game homestand against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Soldier Field as both teams look for their first win across all competitions since mid-July, when both teams defeated FC Cincinnati just three days apart heading into the Leagues Cup.

The stakes for the two teams, though, are significantly different: Despite their recent slide, the Red Bulls remain firmly moored in fourth place while the Fire are stuck in 14th place in the Eastern Conference standings, level with last-place Nashville who have a game in hand. The chance of a postseason appearance for the Fire is remote, and the margin for error incredibly slim, but that was the exact situation the Fire were in when they faced the Red Bulls late last year, when they managed a victory over the New Jersey-based side.

If the Fire are going to turn things around, it’s now well in to “do or die” time.

Series History

All time: 33W-65D-23LLast Match: April 13, 2024: New York 0-0 Fire at Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJLast Home Match: April 29, 2023: Fire 1-1 New York at Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.

Recent Form

New York Red Bulls

The Red Bulls entered the month of July surging, but then star midfielder Emil Forsberg went down with an injury and the team has won just one of the nine matches across all competitions since. On the flip side, the team has lost just once, going a highly improbable 1W-7D-1L (with two of those draws coming in the Leagues Cup) since. They’re treading water, and with 43 points, have probably done enough to make it to the postseason as is, but they need to start gaining points if they want to avoid a situation where they stay clear of the conference’s heavyweights in the first round.

Fire

The Fire once again got off to a slow start, and even though they weren’t really outplayed by D.C. United, the team went down 2-0 in the first half hour off individual mistakes and couldn’t climb back, despite dominating the ball and controlling the game throughout the second half.

The Storyline

The Fire wrap up the last homestand of the season, still looking for their first win since the Leagues Cup break as they return to Soldier Field.

As with last week with D.C. United, the Fire are facing an original MLS team that is trying to change its fortunes. This time, it’s the New York Red Bulls, a team that unlike D.C. (or the Fire) have been consistently making the playoffs: 14 years and counting, the longest active streak in MLS.

That’s a different level than where the Fire have been, but the Red Bulls haven’t won a playoff game since 2018. This year, the squad’s ambitions have been set higher, but the team has been stuck in neutral since star Emil Forsberg was injured in early July, winning just one game while drawing seven and losing one since then. Despite the dip in form, the team remains in fourth place in the East, while the Fire are stuck in 14th.

Yet: A year ago, the Fire were winless after the Leagues Cup until their 1-0 victory over the Red Bulls. A few days later, a midweek win over Inter Miami was enough to put the Fire tantalizingly close to the playoffs.

This year, although the Fire would need a lot of help along the way, the same pattern – a victory over the Red Bulls combined with a midweek win, this time against Nashville SC could, incredibly, put the Fire within striking distance of the postseason again if results elsewhere fall their way.

But the time for results is now: Half the Fire’s remaining games occur within a week of this game. The door to the playoffs is ajar – but only just. The Fire can choose to push it open, or let it close.

New York Players to Watch

Lewis Morgan: The Red Bulls lack a true, high-end goalscoring No. 9 center forward, so instead, it’s been Scottish international Lewis Morgan that’s served as the team’s leading goalscorer. Since joining the Red Bulls from Inter Miami, the 27-year-old found his form, scoring 14 goals in 2022. In 2024, after being out almost all of the previous season, he’s picked up where he left off, putting up career-best goals per 90 minutes. His 12 goals are two shy of his career-best.

Daniel Edelman: Edelman is the minutes leader for the Red Bulls this season, a remarkable feat for a 21 year-old outfield player, now in his fifth season as a professional. The New Jersey native was signed to a long-term deal by the Red Bulls last offseason and he was under consideration to join the U.S. team at the Olympics this summer.

Fire Keys to Victory

• Get the first goal: This comes from Frank Klopas, who pointed out that although the Fire grew into the game and had D.C. pinned back through the second half, they weren’t able to get the result they wanted. His solution? You score the first goal, confidence builds and momentum, belief, all that all that, the crowd gets behind the team.” Especially against the defensively-stout Red bulls, who are more than content to sit and press with a lead,
• Keep a clean sheet: Here’s a way to guarantee that the Fire don’t lose the game: Keep a clean sheet. Turning this one over to Arnaud Souquet: “I think all teams punish mistakes, but for sure against the Red Bulls, if you are strong in the back and we don’t concede a goal, we have the quality to score and create something.” It’s a sentiment echoed by Frank Klopas, who said that the path to a victory “starts from clean sheets.”

Panel Predictions

Alex Calabrese

Prediction: Fire 0-2 New York

Jiggly Carollo

Prediction: Fire 1-1 New York

Tim Hotze

These things never go the way I say they will.

Prediction: Fire 1-2 New York

Matt Shabelman

We are once again so back.

Prediction: Fire 3-1 New York

Match Information and How to Watch

Date and Time: Saturday, September 14, 2024, 7:30 PM CTLocation: Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.Forecast: 76’F expected at kickoff, winds at 7 mph, 76% cloud cover no chance of precipitationTV: Apple TV – MLS Season Pass