Hot Time In Old Town - 2021 MLS Coverage: Chicago Fire vs CF MontrealTRADITION - HONOR - PASSIONhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50655/htiot-fav.png2021-06-02T07:36:37-05:00http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/rss/stream/222230642021-06-02T07:36:37-05:002021-06-02T07:36:37-05:00Chicago Fire 0, CF Montreal 1: What We Learned
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<img alt="SOCCER: MAY 29 MLS - CF Montreal at Chicago Fire FC" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dLl2E5H5zc7uQzi3RgBVtfWrb6M=/0x0:4455x2970/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69376478/1233177605.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>What have we learned from the Fire’s 5th loss of the season?</p> <p id="zBotRl">This is the most infuriating Fire team since they set the draw record in 2014. The players can’t seem to get out of their own way and the coaching staff doesn’t seem to want to make the moves it needs to make to win games. </p>
<h1 id="iXq9hc">We Should Be Done With Calvo</h1>
<p id="Xgq7N7">It’s been clear to me since he was traded for during the 2019 season that Francisco Calvo was not good enough to start on a team whose ambitions were to make a deep run in the MLS playoffs. For all of his skill and talent, he lacks some of the most important qualities you look for in both a center-back and a club captain. All of that was once again put into the forefront of my mind on the goal the Fire gave up to Mason Toye that put them 1-0 down in the 87th minute.</p>
<p id="ROexS4">Calvo left Wyatt Omsberg hanging by not yelling to him that a runner was coming behind him and he should switch from the zone to go and man-mark... or at least, step back to better contend the cross that was coming in. Instead, Omsberg was made to look like a fool who was caught out of position. He was in the right spot to interrupt a run to the near post or block a low cross back to the far post but was completely unaware of the run behind him. It was a shame because, until that moment, Omsberg was having a decent game aside from one blunder early on when he lost the ball in the sun. </p>
<p id="bIOB3f">The fact of the matter is Calvo is either incapable of communicating effectively with his teammates, or he doesn’t think he needs to. Regardless of which it is the Fire cannot afford to play him anymore. He only makes this team worse. If Wicky wants to keep his job, removing him from the lineup is the big move that needs to be done during the 3-week international break. </p>
<h1 id="8dy92Q">Robert Beric is Regressing </h1>
<p id="WRMV4t">I’m about ready to call “I told you so” on the Fire’s unproductive center forward. Despite finishing second in the golden boot race last season, there were a lot of concerning things regarding how he was playing. I’ve mentioned pushing himself out wide for no reason ad Infinitum, but he also can’t stay onside when there’s just a hint of the backline pushing up. He was offside on five or six separate occasions where if he was just a little more conscious of where he was set up he would have been one on one with the goalkeeper. Not that it would have mattered. Unlike the man he replaced up top, Beric seems incapable of shooting his way out of a slump. At least with Nemanja Nikolic, if he missed his first, second, or even third good look at goal, you knew he would hit his fourth. Beric on the other hand looks like if he’s missed his first opportunity, he’s done for the day.</p>
<p id="Aj8LU4">His team knows it too. A lot of the shots on goal were created and shot by other players. In his 77 minutes, Beric only put up one shot while his replacement Chinonso Offor had two shots in 13 minutes. It’s getting harder and harder to watch Beric struggle, but if anyone paid any attention to his production upon his signing, they’d know that last season was probably a fluke and that it was likely he’d be back in the single digits come this year. </p>
<p id="H8KARR">The bottom line: the Fire need to find another striker, and quickly. </p>
<h1 id="j5Y5TH">And Some Good News</h1>
<p id="luzBb1">Ignacio Aliseda is back, and his first action after coming in was to dribble around two defenders and win a free-kick in a dangerous spot. His return should be a boost for a team struggling to put goals on the board. With the international break providing three extra weeks for him to return to full fitness, he should be back starting on the left-hand side allowing for Brian Gutierrez to assume a super-sub role that should really fit where he is in his career. I expect to see some more dynamic play on the wings against the Crew, and I expect the team to create even more chances than they already are. They just need to find someone to turn those chances into goals. </p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2021/6/2/22461543/chicago-fire-0-cf-montreal-1-what-we-learnedRuben Tisch2021-05-29T14:26:55-05:002021-05-29T14:26:55-05:00Chicago Fire 0, CF Montreal 1: Man of the Match
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<img alt="MLS: CF Montreal at Chicago Fire" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LuG5FI_1ievF1u1dYW6Bf64WsTo=/0x4:3612x2412/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69361568/usa_today_16171654.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="4rermB">That was a tough pill to swallow. After a chaotic first half, It finally seemed the Fire had the game under control. However, against the run of play, Mason Toye found a gap in central defense and headed in a cross to put the ex Montreal Impact up 1-0 late. That half-hour of control from the Fire was nice to see after weeks of it not being there., and in large part, our MotM was to thank for that. He won 23(!) individual duels and was the man most responsible for the Fire’s sustained attack. I am, of course, talking about Luka Stojanovic— who once again demonstrated why he’s the best player on the team. Congrats to him for his 3rd MotM of the year. </p>
<p id="l0SO25"><em>(Now let us know how you saw it. Vote for your choice for MOTM/WOTM in the poll below. The poll will be open for two days, after which we’ll publicize the results. (Note: if you’re viewing this post from AMP or Apple News, you won’t see the poll below. Feel free to tell us your pick in the comments.)</em></p>
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https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2021/5/29/22459905/chicago-fire-0-cf-montreal-1-man-of-the-matchRuben Tisch2021-05-29T14:11:23-05:002021-05-29T14:11:23-05:00Chicago Fire 0 vs CF Montreal 1: Quick & Dirty Recap
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<img alt="MLS: CF Montreal at Chicago Fire" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A1HIL-2Vl3O2-IGoaJWyG5Rtef0=/0x0:4434x2956/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69361538/usa_today_16171688.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="XB9RWB"><a href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com"><strong>Chicago Fire</strong></a><strong> 0</strong></p>
<p id="RTpHiR"><strong>CF Montreal 1 </strong>Toye 87’</p>
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<p id="awTRyQ">Here is your quick & dirty editorial-free recap of the Chicago Fire home match against ICF Montreal. The Fire lost 1-0. </p>
<h1 id="6PdEuM">87’ 0-1 Toye </h1>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mason Toye can't be stopped! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHIvMTL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHIvMTL</a> <a href="https://t.co/2Paln7Hqog">pic.twitter.com/2Paln7Hqog</a></p>— Major League Soccer (@MLS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLS/status/1398715637896261634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2021</a>
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<p id="YWAGFw">Stay tuned for more postgame coverage here on Hot Time In Old Town. In the meantime, join the conversation in the comments or on social media.</p>
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https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2021/5/29/22459836/chicago-fire-0-vs-cf-montreal-1-quick-dirty-recapRuben Tisch2021-05-28T15:32:46-05:002021-05-28T15:32:46-05:00Tea Time: Chicago Fire vs CF Montreal MLS Game 7 Preview
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<img alt="FC Cincinnati v CF Montreal" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/K7y4UZ4pzf8hAyhiooWJgMj5HvA=/0x67:2072x1448/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69358740/1319608979.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="XxIMrb">There’s been a lot of talk about this match, and not all of it is related to the field. Thursday night, we dropped <a href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2021/5/27/22457441/fairy-tales-chicago-fires-georg-heitz-slams-djordje-mihailovics-trade-comments">some major tea </a>on the website here about what happened in the Mihailovic situation between the Fire and the then <a href="https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com">Montreal Impact</a>. </p>
<p id="Y2DKoY">Upfront, the situation stinks. We know that something went down between the team and Djordje during the MLS is Back tournament last season, and we know that while it was put on the back burner for the rest of the season, a move was probably coming regardless of what happened. When Djordje was asked about what happened he intimated there was a disconnect between the FO and Wicky as far as bringing him back, and Heitz responded by saying that there was an offer on the table, and Djordje ghosted him.</p>
<p id="6QPyU2">Regardless of whether or not you believe his side was right, George Heitz was wrong to come out and respond the way he did to what Djordje said in the interview. I understand his impulse. He wanted to defend the organization and how they do business. The problem is that there was nothing to be gained by doing this. To other players, this shows that not everyone in the organization is on the same page, and may result in players not wanting to come to play here despite all the seemingly positive changes of previous ownership.</p>
<p id="6sev2N">And to the fans, there was never going to be anything the FO said that would be an acceptable explanation for a wildly unpopular move. The justification for moves like this needs to be done on the field by getting results.</p>
<p id="TastbD">This is the kind of thing that ends up being bulletin board material, and if there’s one thing the Fire doesn’t need, it’s teams getting up that little bit extra when they see your name on the schedule. Talking about it helps no one. </p>
<p id="D5Pc1s"><a href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com"><strong>Chicago Fire</strong></a><strong> all-time MLS record vs CF Montreal: 7W-6D-8L, 30 GF / 29 GA, 28 pts out of 63</strong></p>
<p id="diO6oo"><strong>Chicago Fire home MLS record vs CF Montreal: 5W-3D-1L, 17 GF / 10 GA, 18 pts out of 27</strong></p>
<h1 id="JqItQz">Previously on… </h1>
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<p id="3KbZnC">Montreal has had an up and down start to the season. They lost to FC Cincinnati last week 2-1, extending their losing streak to 2 with 3 losses in their last 4 games. Their one win was 2-0 versus Inter Miami. </p>
<h1 id="mQTqd7">Suggested Lineup</h1>
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<p id="YQBD13">The Fire are in a bit of a rough spot. Frankowski is off to Poland for the preliminary EUROS camp. Say what you want about his finishing ability, but Frankowski holds down the right-hand side with his work rate and ability to take space. Replacing him is a huge task that the Fire are, frankly, unable to do with the current roster situation. So my solution is to slide Guti over and put Offor out on the left. Both Aliseda and Gimenez are listed as questionable and should be on the bench, but them being back doesn’t mean they should start. The Nations League break should help them with their fitness, but it might be too soon to get anything more than 30 minutes out of Aliseda. Gimenez would be less of a surprise if he were to start, and that would make things easier, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he started on the bench as well. </p>
<h1 id="cwKDWO">Keys To The Match</h1>
<p id="i2yw7C"><strong>Build on Last Week: </strong> In my “What We Learned” earlier in the week, I mentioned that I was unsure whether or not the Fire’s tactical changes would work going forward. After watching Montreal’s last few games I can say with some confidence that the changes the Fire made to the squad and their tactics should carry over nicely. Montreal are a lot like the fire in a lot of ways. Their best player is in the midfield, their defense is shaky, and their goalkeeper is not the best. The Fire should do the things that brought them success against Miami. Play balls in over the top early to create space, then as the game goes on, use your superior passing and game sense to create scoring chances. </p>
<p id="P18DwV"><strong>The Best Defense is a Good Offense</strong>: The big reason why the Fire defense was so good last week is that they didn’t really have to do a whole lot. The secret for clean sheets is a combination of control and playing against an underwhelming offense, apparently. This week is shaping up to be another one of these types of games. The Fire should look to take advantage of an opponent who seems willing to let the Men in Red have the ball, and their offense doesn’t seem to be that potent. The less the Fire defense has to do, the better the outcome for the club.</p>
<p id="xSYmgd"><strong>Score Goals</strong>: In some sense, the Fire deserved to win last week, but they also got extremely lucky. None of the scoring opportunities were capitalized on and the team needed a blunder of epic proportions to come out on top. The Fire attackers need to put the ball in the back of the net. We seem to talk about this every week, but it’s still the biggest flaw of this club. The Fire forwards aren’t scoring and they have to score. </p>
<h1 id="1hT8Sx">How To Watch</h1>
<p id="dHJSOc">Television: WGN TV</p>
<p id="BQL0xg">Streaming: CFFC Live or ESPN+</p>
<h1 id="eQxy5i">Final Thoughts </h1>
<p id="klakWX">After this game, the Fire are entering a 3-week break so the league can get out of the way of the CONCACAF Nations League Final. With that on the horizon, I expect the Fire to go full throttle for the entire game. 3-2 Fire win. </p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2021/5/28/22458558/cffc-cf97-tea-time-chicago-fire-vs-cf-montreal-mls-game-8-preview-lineup-predictionRuben Tisch