We’ll keep this short and sweet:

The table doesn’t matter. The playoff race doesn’t matter. (Ok, that’s a lie, but bear with me for a sec.) The fact that we lost against Cincy earlier in the season doesn’t matter.

Whatever else may be within reach for this team, all eyes are on 2020 and the ongoing rebirth of the Fire. We may or may not be able to sneak into the playoffs, but that’s beside the point right now. Tomorrow night we’re taking on Cincy, and for the first time in a long time, we actually have some pride to play for.

It’s a new day, friends. LFG.

Chicago Fire all-time MLS record vs FC Cincinnati: 0W-0D-1L, 1 GF / 2 GA, 0 pts out of 3

Chicago Fire away MLS record vs FC Cincinnati: 0W-0D-0L, 0 GF / 0 GA, 0 pts out of 0

Previously on…

Two losses— including a 5-1 at home to Toronto— and a win over Montreal that was weird af. Their recent form, plus the fact that they were eliminated from playoff contention a while ago, means their confidence is almost certainly shot.

Suggested Lineup

Kronholm; Bornstein, Schweinsteiger, Kappelhof, Calvo; Bronico, McCarty (c); Frankowski, Gaitán, Sapong; Nikolic

“Wait, isn’t that the exact same lineup as last week?” Yes. Yes, it is. If it was good enough to beat Dallas, it’s good enough to beat Cincy.

Keys To The Match

Stay Hyped: The best thing the Fire have going on right now is their mentality. That’s not a sentence I expected to write in 2019 but here we fucking are. After the change in mood following last week’s #HauptmanOut announcement, followed by the 4-0 beatdown of Dallas, the Men In Red must feel like they can take on anybody. Use that. Line up against Cincy tomorrow not only knowing that you can beat Cincy, but that’s it’s your goddamn birthright to beat them.

Keep It Moving: The other thing we’ve got going on is our movement in the attack. Our front four looked so dang good last week, especially in the first half. That’s not a thing that happens by accident. They’ll need more of that against Cincy; not just to win, but to make another statement.

Freedom Of The Press: The Fire executed a strong press last week, and it worked. They thwarted Dallas’ front line at almost every turn and prevented the opposition midfield from getting a handle on things. If they can repeat that against Cincy, we’ll be just fine.

How To Watch

Television: N/A

Streaming: ESPN+

Final Thoughts

I’m feeling pretty good about life right now. 3-1 Fire.

What do you think? Can the Men In Red keep the good vibes going? Let us know in the comments below!