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A sharp intake of breath when the lineups were announced today on Twitter, as veteran left back Gonzalo Segares - still suffering with an ankle injury - was suprisingly included:
#cf97 @UIHealth Starting XI vs. #NERevs: Johnson; Palmer, Hurtado, Soumare, Segares; Nyarko, Larentowicz (C), Alex, Shipp; Magee, Amarikwa
— ChiFireMatch (@ChiFireMatch) April 19, 2014
Which was stunning, and evidence of either some confusion or a massively successful sandbagging job from the Fire coaching staff. Sadly, it was the former - we miss you, Sega! - as the tweet was quickly corrected:
#cf97 @UIHealth Starting XI: Johnson; Palmer, Hurtado, Soumare, Cochrane; Nyarko, Larentowicz (C), Alex, Shipp; Amarikwa, Magee** No Sega!
— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) April 19, 2014
So, precisely the lineup we expected, and a consistent XI for the second week running. The bench is young and potent, with Victor Pineda favored over Dilly Duka, whose recovery from injuries continues. Homegrown player Chris Ritter, whose early season has been plagued by leg problems, makes the gameday 18 again.
#cf97 @UIHealth Subs vs. #NERevs: Reynish, Ianni, Ritter, Watson, Pineda, Joya, Anangono
— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) April 19, 2014
The Revolution counter with an XI also unchanged from their 2-0 drubbing of Houston last week:
.@NERevolution Starting XI: Shuttleworth; Barnes, Soares, Farrell, Alston; Dorman; Sene, Nguyen, Kobayashi, Fagundez; Bunbury
— ChiFireMatch (@ChiFireMatch) April 19, 2014
.@NERevolution Substitutes: Knighton, McCarthy, Tierney, Caldwell, Neumann, Bengtson, Davies
— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) April 19, 2014
Game facts
REFEREE: Sorin Stoica. AR1 (bench): Kermit Quisenberry; AR2 (opposite): Jeremy Hanson; 4th: Baldomero Toledo
MLS Career: 19 games; FC/gm: 27.9; Y/gm: 4.4; R: 7; pens: 9
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (46 meetings): Fire 20 wins, 63 goals … Revolution 17 wins, 63 goals … Ties 9
AT CHICAGO (23 meetings): Fire 12 wins, 39 goals … Revolution 5 wins, 29 goals … Ties 6
RETURN MATCHES: 7/12: New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m. ET; 9/7: New England Revolution vs. Chicago Fire, 7 p.m. ET
LAST YEAR (MLS)
3/9: CHI 0, NE 1 (Bengtson 62)
8/17: NE 2, CHI 0 (Agudelo 54; Rowe 91+)
9/14: CHI 3, NE 2 (Anangono 30; Magee 55; Alex 86 – Rowe 9; Sene 46+)
• When the Revolution won 1-0 last March 9 at Toyota Park, it was their first league win in Bridgeview since 2006, ending a nine-game winless run in league and cup play.
• The Revolution have won four of the last six matches between the clubs, after going more than five years without a league win vs. Chicago. But they have won the last three meetings at Gillette Stadium, and haven’t lost at home to the Fire since 2010.
• Coaches record: Jay Heaps vs. CHI: P6 W4 L2 D0 … Frank Yallop vs. NE: P19 W11 L5 D3