It’s time. All the speculation and guess work is over. All our questions will soon be answered and our fears and doubts will either be realized or put to bed. 24 hours from now, it will be go time.

The Chicago Fire question I wan’t most answered, more than anything else is “Is Bastian Schweinsteiger good enough to play midfield?” I understand that to many of you, this may seem like the stupidest thing to question. “Basti is a legend!” you say. “Of course, he’s good enough. Who are you, idiot, to question the German god?!!!11211!!!212!!!!””

Well, The Basti I’ve seen this preseason is not that Bastian Schweinsteiger. He’s been slow, sloppy, and turns the ball over with alarming frequency. He stops quick attacks with durdleing on the ball when the correct thing to do is keep the ball moving. I’ve seen a lot more bad than good with him in the preseason. I have a sneaking suspicion it might be time to move on from Bastian Schweinsteiger. We’ll find out on Saturday.

Chicago Fire all-time MLS record vs LA GALAXY: 15W-7D-21L, 49 GF / 58 GA, 52 pts out of 129

Chicago Fire away MLS record vs LA GALAXY: 6W-4D-11L, 22 GF / 31 GA, 31 pts out of 63

Previously on…

Last season the LA Galaxy finished on 34 points with a record of 13-12-9 to finish 7th in the Western Conference and a single point outside the playoffs.

Suggested Lineup

As of this writing, this is probably the best XI the club has, because they don’t have the guts to play Mo Adams over Basti at Mid. Also, even if the Nico Gaitan signing happens, there’s no way he dresses for at least a few weeks.

Keys To The Match

Control The Midfield: Don’t let LA dictate the pace and control the game. The more of the midfield you control, the less opportunities there will be for LA’s game changers to work their magic.

Play Through Djordje: Djordje Mihailovic is the most creative player on the team. Gregg Berhalter ran his attack through him and the USMNT flourished. Do the same at club level, and you will find success (and goal scoring opportunities.)

Play Hard: I want to see everyone giving their best effort. Be first to lose balls, chase down on the press and force LA into mistakes. They will make them.

How To Watch

Television: Fox Sports 1

Streaming: Fox Sports Go (Cable Subscription Required)

Final Thoughts

I’m choosing to go into this game with no thoughts or expectations, so next week, I’ll have a prediction baseline to go on. I think I said a draw on the podcast, so let’s stick with that.

How do you think the Fire’s first game of the season will go? Let us know in the comments!