Red Bulls, Fire clash in pivotal Eastern Conference affair
A pair of teams fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference meet on Saturday night as the Chicago Fire face the visiting New York Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls (9-9-6, 33 points) and Fire (9-9-5, 32 points) are ninth and 10th in the East standings, respectively. The Fire, though, have a match in hand.
Chicago is coming off a 2-0 win over CF Montreal on July 19 behind goals from Hugo Cuypers and Jack Elliott. Philip Zinckernagel, an MLS All-Star Game selection, added an assist.
The Fire have shown marked improvement under Gregg Berhalter in his first season as head coach and technical director. The next step, though, is Chicago qualifying for its first playoff appearance since 2017, and that includes taking advantage of the transfer window that opened on Thursday.
'It's a work in progress,' Berhalter said. 'We've openly stated that we want to add players to the team and keep the team moving forward and progressing. There's a number of targets that we've been speaking to, and now it's about really honing on a few of them and then pursuing the deal.'
Fire center back Carlos Teran, out since mid-April with an upper leg injury, has returned to training and is 'day-to-day,' per Berhalter.
New York last played on July 19 against Inter Miami CF, getting an Alexander Hack opener in the 14th minute before allowing the next five goals - two to Lionel Messi - in a 5-1 defeat.
The Red Bulls will look to bounce back from a heavy loss in its last outing, a win getting them a step closer to an unprecedented 16th-straight playoff appearance.
'We have to play with a high intensity. We have to play with the right mentality. Those are two big things that we have to improve,' Hack said. 'We have to be ready from the first minute until the 95th minute, play as a team, support each other, (and) fight for each other.'
The Red Bulls on Wednesday announced that they had signed Swedish midfielder Gustav Berggren from Rakow Czestochowa in Poland's first division.
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