Orlando City (6-2-3, 21 pts) will look to bounce back from a rare defeat when they head to Soldier Field to battle Chicago Fire FC (2-7-2, 8 pts) on Wednesday night. The game, presented by Publix, is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET and will be nationally televised on Unimás and TUDN, with English language streaming available on Twitter. Local radio coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. on FM 96.9 the Game in English and Acción 97.9 FM and 810 AM in Spanish.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Fire:
Key Transactions and Player News
Key Additions - CF Chinonso Offor (FK RFS), RB Jhon Espinoza (SD Aucas), F Jhon Jader Durán (Envigado, arriving 2022)
Key Departures - AM Djordje Mihailovic (CF Montréal), CM Brandt Bronico (Charlotte FC), F CJ Sapong (Nashville SC)
Player News - Central midfielder Álvaro Medrán was named to the MLS Team of the Week last week for his performance against Philadelphia Union and would have a good shout to make it again after running the show in Chicago’s 3-0 win over Atlanta United on July 3. Medrán had been dropped from the starting lineup as recently as June 23, but has three assists in his last two matches after a heart-to-heart with head coach Raphael Wicky.
Take a look at the Fire’s full roster here.
Team Form
Chicago got off to a brutal start to 2021, losing seven of their first nine matches, but there’s some evidence that things are turning around. After a wild 3-3 draw against Philadelphia on June 26, the Fire broke out for a dominant 3-0 win over Atlanta this past Saturday. Young DP Ignacio Aliseda scored a brace and the Fire defense picked up just its second clean sheet of the season. The Orlando game will mark the last of a four-game homestand at Soldier Field for Chicago.
Head-to-Head
Chicago has had the better of Orlando City for most of the past six years, though things turned around sharply under Oscar Pareja in 2020. Overall, the Fire are 4-3-5 against the Lions, but Orlando had a five-year winless drought until exploding for a 4-1 victory last September 19 at Exploria Stadium. Chris Mueller, Nani, Júnior Urso and Benji Michel all scored in that win, while Pedro Gallese saved a penalty kick.
Rasmussen University Fact
This will be Orlando City’s first game at Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears since 1971 and the Fire since 2020. Soldier Field, opened in 1924, is now the oldest stadium in MLS, thanks to FC Cincinnati moving from Nippert Stadium (1915) to the all-new TQL Stadium on May 16 of this year. Portland’s Providence Park existed in a rudimentary form in 1893, but did not become a complete stadium until 1926.
