Whitecaps aim to fight Fire with desire in Chicago
Injury-riddled Caps will have hands full defending Schweinsteiger-led attack
MLS has been working tirelessly at shedding its reputation as the Sunnyville Retirement Home of the soccer world, a place where fading stars come to play out their final few years, assuaging the pain in their aching legs with piles and piles of cash. (Steven Gerrard, we’re looking at you!)
When Bastian Schweinsteiger signed with the Chicago Fire, it had all the hallmarks of the same kind of transaction.
Here was a 30-something player who had retired from international play, barely saw the field for his last team (Manchester United), scoring just once and recording zero assists in 18 games on wobbly knees.
Not only that, he played the same position as his new team’s two best players — Dax McCarty and Brazilian legend Juninho.
It was a move that smacked of marketing execs hungry to increase attendance for a team that finished last in the 22-team circuit two straight years, scoring the fewest goals and giving up the secondmost.
It also turned out to be the right move.
The Whitecaps travel to Chicago Saturday to take on a resurgent Fire team that is 8-0-1 at home, ranks second overall in Major League Soccer, and boasts a superlative passing game that starts with their midfield maestro, the 32-year-old Schweinsteiger. With the former World Cup champion directing the offence, the Fire have outscored opponents 20-5 and established themselves as one of the MLS Supporters’ Shield favourites.
“It’s a huge challenge. They’ve got great talent there,” said Caps coach Carl Robinson, who is juggling a lineup missing several regulars and hasn’t determined who will get the job of marking Schweinsteiger.
“He’s a big challenge. We have to be on our toes, we can’t give him room … I want (our players) to respect him, but not be afraid. Just go and show how good we are, because we have some exciting players in that area as well.”
On that list of Vancouver players to watch is Yordy Reyna, who might make his first regular-season appearance with the team after healing from a fractured foot suffered in pre-season.
The Peruvian forward showed plenty of flair and skill in the exhibition games, and a willingness to shoot from distance, an asset the Caps don’t otherwise have. They rank second-to-last in the league in shots on goal (55), ahead of only the cellar-dwelling Colorado Rapids.
The Caps rank first in one area, however: injured players.
They have eight regulars on the DL — including Nicolas Mezquida (right high ankle sprain), Kendall Waston (hand surgery), Christian Bolaños (right shoulder sprain) and Erik Hurtado (left foot contusion) — meaning the 23-year-old Reyna might see some time off the bench.
“It’s been a long recovery process,” Reyna said through a translator after practice this week. “I feel a lot better now, and I’m ready for Saturday.
“It’s going to be a difficult team. They have a lot of good players, but so do we. Hopefully we’ll be able to get the three points out of the game. It’s been really tough the past few months with the pain and desire to play. But that time’s past now, and I’m ready to get on the field.”
The Fire’s ball-possession game is directly counter to the Whitecaps’ tendency to bunker down and defend in their half, especially when on the road. Chicago will likely play plenty of passes between defence and midfield in hopes of stretching the visitors’ formation out, then strike over the top — a pass Schweinsteiger has shown he’s deadly with several times this year.
Robinson is acutely aware of the type of game the Fire play, and plans to adjust his lineup accordingly. He’ll also let his players know the Whitecaps can’t afford the same kinds of mistakes they made against Minnesota United last week, when they squandered a 2-0 lead.
“There’s not many away teams that dominate possession in this league, so they’ll probably have more possession than us,” he said. “But it’s important that we concentrate and not give stupid fouls or silly goals away, which we did on the weekend. We’ve given key goals away at the wrong times.
“We’ll be organized. As good as they are going one way, we certainly feel there’s areas we can take advantage of them at the back.”
That’s something few teams have had success with against the Fire (10-4-3), who sit a single point behind league-leading Toronto FC.
“They’ve had a good run of form,” he said. “They’re unbeaten at home. Eventually, they will lose. And hopefully, that will be on Saturday.”