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Frank Yallop promised a change or two, and he's as good as his word. When the Fire's starting XI were announced this afternoon for tonight's game at Red Bull Arena, out went two of last week's starters - Juan Luis Anangonó and Bakary Soumare - and in their places were Quincy Amarikwa and Patrick Ianni:
FIRE @UIHealth Starting XI vs. #RBNY: Johnson; Palmer, Hurtado, Ianni, Cochrane; Nyarko, Larentowicz ©, Joya, Shipp; Amarikwa, Magee #cf97
— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) May 10, 2014
Ianni has seen precious little time since coming over from Seattle alongside today's partner in central defense, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. Is this move precipitated by the migraines Soumare has reportedly suffered since Thursday, or is it the other way around? What's certain is that, of the possible pairings left absent Soumare, this one has the most time together over the years - in fact, the pair were slated to start last season in the center of the Seattle backline, before injuries and poor form shuffled the deck.
The bench has a slightly different look than last week, too, as Dilly Duka's return pushes Victor Pineda off the gameday 18. Gonzalo Segares is once again available for selection, and Chris Ritter again makes the bench as depth in the center of midfield.
FIRE @UIHealth Substitutes vs. #RBNY: Reynish, Segares, Ritter, Duka, Pause, Watson, Anangono #cf97 #NYvCHI #MLS
— Chicago Fire (@ChicagoFire) May 10, 2014
New York's starting lineup is a copy-and-paste job from the last couple weeks. There's a lot going forward here, but not a tremendous number of tackling midfielders - if Benji Joya has a good game, the Fire could make it difficult for Red Bulls to play through midfield:
#RBNY Starting XI and Substitutes vs. @ChicagoFire. Catch #NYvCHI live on @msgnetworks at 7PM! #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/UbV6on7V93
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) May 10, 2014
As always, join us here for joy and despair communicated entirely through brief notes in the comments section. DALÉ FIRE!
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