Hot Time In Old Town - Chicago Fire vs. DC United - MLS #12 - Story Stream TRADITION - HONOR - PASSIONhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50655/htiot-fav.png2013-06-02T14:30:05-05:00http://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/rss/stream/41502352013-06-02T14:30:05-05:002013-06-02T14:30:05-05:00Chicago Fire vs. DC United - MLS #12 - Gamethread
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<figcaption>MIke Magee will makes his MLS debut with the Fire today | USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Fire come into this game even more fortified than they were last week heading to Rio Tinto with Bakary Soumare back among the ranks</p> <p>The Chicago attack will feature another fresh face in recently acquired Mike Magee. Additionally, it looks like <span>Sean Johnson</span> will indeed be back in goal despite the USMNT having a game against Germany today. The rotation of goalkeepers that Jurgen Klinsmann is going with allows the Milkman to play today against DC United. This means we will field an even stronger team, making my prediction of a 2-0 Fire win even more likely.</p>
<p>The midfield might have a slightly different look if <span>Logan Pause</span> can't play. Speculation paints either <span>Daniel Paladini</span> or Alex into a starting role. While I love both players, I really want to see Alex get a chance to start. With Rolfe an Magee in front of him I think he could really orchestrate the offense if given the chance. Whichever way the gaffer decides to go, we will find out in just under 6 hours.</p>
<p>Please join us here at HTIOT to watch Magee and company do work. Lineups will be posted pre-match. Let's go Fire!</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2013/6/2/4388630/chicago-fire-vs-dc-united-mls-12-gamethread-4-00-pm-cst-my50-107-9-fmRyan Sealock2013-06-01T13:00:04-05:002013-06-01T13:00:04-05:00Chicago Fire vs. DC United -MLS #12- Preview
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<figcaption>Tasos Katopodis</figcaption>
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<p>Sunday afternoon the Fire welcome the league's last place team to Toyota Park. Can Chicago keep the momentum going in the right direction following 2 positive results? This fan thinks so</p> <p></p>
<p>The Fire are coming off a hard earned point from their match last week versus <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.rslsoapbox.com/">Real Salt Lake</a> at Rio Tinto. Their lineup was given a boost with the newly acquired Bakary Soumare. This allowed <span>Frank Klopas</span> to field a very strong defensive unit by sliding Anibaba out to the right side and sliding Soumare into the center with Berry. For the majority of the game the Fire's defense looked stable, except for a few scary moments throughout the match. Yes, they did give up shots but that's why <span>Sean Johnson</span> is the starter for this team and is also in USMNT talk.</p>
<p>The Fire were also saved by the crossbar before RSL were able to beat the defense and Sean Johnson with a goal by <span>Alvaro Saborio</span> in the 78<sup>th</sup> minute. On the other side of the ball, it was the same old story for the offense for most of the game. They were able to create a few chances throughout the match until <span>Quincy Amarikwa</span> was able to slot his acrobatic shot home after a header from <span>Austin Berry</span>. <span>Jalil Anibaba</span> started the play with a long throw in to Berry's head.</p>
<p>With the comeback tie in Salt Lake, the Fire can also add some positive momentum from the win versus the Charlotte Eagles in Open Cup play on Wednesday. That game also marked the debut of another recently acquired player, <span>Mike Magee</span>. He was acquired for the rights to <span>Robbie Rogers</span> and he made an immediate impact by scoring the first goal of the game in the 11<sup>th</sup> minute. Fielding a side with first choice players, the Fire were able to control the match and get a second from the left foot of <span>Chris Rolfe</span>.It was a nice boost for the team as the Fire hadn't won a match since the Columbus game back in April.</p>
<p>This Sunday, the Fire host last place DC United in an afternoon affair at Toyota Park. Not only is DC last place in the Eastern Conference, but they are also last place in all of MLS. With a 1-9-2 record, <span>Ben Olsen</span> and his DC United players are playing well below their expectations. Olsen has tried different lineups and formations but nothing seems to be working for them. Unlike the Fire, DC is coming off a 2-0 loss to Portland in league play and an Open Cup victory that took extra time as well as penalty kicks to decide. If DC continues in this slump I expect big changes to happen to try to turn their fortunes around.</p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Lineups</u></b></p>
<p>Since Ben Olsen has chosen to use the same lineup in consecutive weeks, here is my best guess at what he might go with (Hamid is still with the USMNT):</p>
<p align="center">Willis</p>
<p align="center">Korb-Macdonald-White-Riley</p>
<p align="center">Augusto-Kitchen-Deleon-Porter</p>
<p align="center">De Rosario-Pontius</p>
<p>After watching the Open Cup game on Wednesday Night, I'm very intrigued by the lineup that Frank Klopas chose to start the game. Yes, it was a lower division opponent but the lineup had strong play throughout the match. I would love to see Frank choose the same lineup as Wednesday. So I would guess Frank might go with this:</p>
<p align="center">Tornaghi</p>
<p align="center">Anibaba-Soumare-Berry-Segares</p>
<p align="center">Pause</p>
<p align="center">Duka-Alex-Nyarko</p>
<p align="center">Magee-Rolfe</p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Key Matchups</u></b></p>
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<li> Berry and Soumare vs. De Rosario- Last year he was DC's go to guy and was the heart of the team. This year he has looked a shell of himself so far. That doesn't mean that De Rosario won't change his confidence level around Sunday. It's best that Berry and Soumare shut him down so he doesn't have a chance to have things go his way and provide a positive spark to DC. He is still able to provide the creative ability that DC needs and we need to be wary of this.</li>
<li> Willis vs. every shot at his goal- The third year keeper has only had 15 appearances to his resume and has given up 25 goals during that time. The Fire should pepper the goal with shots early and often to make him feel uncomfortable. If a Fire forward/midfielder has the opportunity to shoot within 25 yards, I'd say go for it. Keep the pressure on the inexperienced keeper and force him not to make a mistake.<br>
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<p align="center"><b><u>Wildcards</u></b></p>
<p>With DC owning the worst record in the league, I'm sure they are waiting for that one player to come out and take charge of the team. That player for me is <span>Chris Pontius</span>. He has yet to grab a goal this season but he showed last year that he can be a double digit scorer in MLS. So far he has only assisted on 2 goals this season. I'm sure he is looking to get off the mark and when he does he will score in bunches. If he does not start for DC on Sunday look for him to come off the bench in order to provide a spark for DC.</p>
<p>For the Fire it's kind of a no brainer, Mike Magee. The newly acquired Magee will be looking to put a stamp on his return to Chicago. After the way that he and Chris Rolfe were able to combine on Wednesday night, albeit against the Charlotte Eagles, there should be no reason why Frank does not start the both of them up top versus DC. If he is able to make an immediate impact for the Fire I can just see a lot of bench in the future for Sherjill MacDonald. Magee will hopefully provide a boost for the Fire that will be the shot in the arm that this team desperately needs.</p>
<p align="center"><b><u>Outcome</u></b></p>
<p>The MLS' 2 worst teams when it comes to goal scoring clash on Sunday. We have made a couple moves and DC is still the same team that has a 1-9-2 record. Something has to give at Toyota Park. With the way that DC has played all season I'm going to say that the Fire will be the better team on Sunday and match their top goal scoring output for the season. I predict a 3-0 win for the Men in Red with goals coming from Rolfe, Magee, and Alex.</p>
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https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2013/6/1/4385258/mls-12-chicago-fire-vs-dc-united-previewAdam Merges2013-06-01T08:41:24-05:002013-06-01T08:41:24-05:00Chicago Fire vs. DCU - MLS #12 - Fireside Chat
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<figcaption>Ned Dishman</figcaption>
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<p>After grinding out a tough point at Rio Tinto and welcoming Mike Magee back home to Chicago, the Men in Red will face off against the cellar-dwellers in the East</p> <p>After the additions of Soumare and Magee, hopefully the team will get a nice little boost and put some points together. Chicago should definitely be able to get some points here against a DC United team struggling mightily and in serious disarray.</p>
<p>Adam Taylor over at <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/">Black And Red United</a> takes center stage in this week's Fireside Chat. With both of our clubs struggling right now, we tossed back and forth some analysis ahead of tomorrow's game. We will have the full build up once again here at HTIOT, with a preview hitting later today. The gamethread and recap will be up tomorrow. Enjoy, and as always, let's go Fire!</p>
<p align="center"><b>Hot Time In Old Town Asks Black And Red United</b></p>
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<p><b>1. On paper DC looks to have a very strong team, what do you think is the main reason why results aren't coming on the field? (via Adam Merges)</b></p>
<p>You're trying to make me cry at the outset, aren't you? There are several reasons, all of which are playing a role - failure to improve or even replace important departing pieces like <span>Andy Najar</span> or <span>Branko Boskovic</span> in the offseason, regression to the mean (and then some) after an overachieving end to 2012 - but the biggest reason is just a collection of individual failures by several players to play up to their potential. <span>Chris Pontius</span> has been less than a shadow of his 2012 MLS Best XI self. <span>Dwayne De Rosario</span> hasn't come close to replicating even his slow start from last year. Center backs <span>Brandon McDonald</span> and <span>Dejan Jakovic</span> both regressed after impressive years last season. Some of this is attitude, but it's a little bit boggling to try and find a reason why so many players are playing so much worse than last year.<br><br><b>2. Where would you rank Bill Hamid on the USMNT goal keeping depth chart? And is there a reason for his inconsistent play over the course of the season so far? How high is his ceiling? (via Adam Merges)</b></p>
<p>To completely reverse the order of your questions: <span>Bill Hamid's</span> ceiling is unbelievably high - it's not even in sight yet. We saw him make a leap last season, cutting out many of the mistakes that plagued his first two years as a pro and somehow improving on his mind-bending pure shot-stopping ability. With the right coaching and more experience, the 22-year-old could grow into one of the best 'keepers the U.S. has produced.</p>
<p>That said, he's allowed some soft goals this year. I'm chalking it up to a kind of shell shock that we've only ever seen at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://delete.sbnprivate.com/">Chivas USA</a>: the defense in front of him is hanging him out to dry so often that even some of the simpler decisions are made more difficult. Like Dan Kennedy and <span>Brad Guzan</span> before him, though, I expect Hamid to shake off the cobwebs and regain his former trajectory sooner or later.</p>
<p>The USMNT depth chart is a tough one because it's so hard to read Jurgen Klinsmann and whether <span>Nick Rimando</span> has a full spot on the chart. Assuming his does, Hamid is in a battle with your own <span>Sean Johnson</span> for the fourth spot behind <span>Tim Howard</span>, Brad Guzan and Rimando. Despite some strong recent performances by the Fire GK, I'd still take Hamid ahead of him, personally.<br><br><b>3. When I watch DeRo this season, the difference from last season physically is striking - he seems to have lost significant speed and explosiveness from last year. Is DeRo injured, or just old? And if time has finally caught up with him, has he shown signs of being able to adjust his game? (via Sean Spence)</b></p>
<p>Old. I think. Maybe injured, but probably just old. Last year, De Rosario started the season slowly as a goalscorer but was still helping the team win with assists and generally driving the attack. This year, he simply isn't. He's pushed off the ball too easily and hasn't been successful in taking players on 1v1. He's also been unlucky, hitting the post a few times and having shots improbably saved off the goal line (or from inside the goal) on several others. I think some of it is losing his aura, which forced defenders to hesitate just enough for DeRo to slit their throats, but a lot of it is age doing its work on him. We've seen him try a few different things to adjust this season - playing deeper in midfield, playing as an out-and-out striker, drifting wider for larger stretches - but with the rest of the team performing so poorly, none of them have worked, yet.<br><br><b>4. While <span>Ben Olsen</span> has been lauded as a very talented young coach, how much of the disappointment this year is on his head? Do you think he is as good as he has been billed thus far, or are chinks starting to show in the armor? (via Ryan Sealock)</b></p>
<p>I think the lion's share of the disappointment is on the offseason failure to acquire any talent to improve the side. Some of that is on Olsen, but I'm putting more of it on GM Dave Kasper. That said, a lot of the blame has to also fall to Olsen in his capacity as head coach in the day-to-day. His team hasn't looked totally ready for games at the outset, which is one reason why United has allowed an inordinate number of goals in the first half hour of games. He has been over-reliant on some obviously underperforming players and reluctant to give others a look (<span>Lionard Pajoy</span> and <span>Carlos Ruiz</span>, respectively). I don't think anybody saw Olsen as a fully developed coach, even during the run last year. He may have deserved his MLS Coach of the Year consideration, but there were issues even then. I think whether Olsen lives up to the billing will be how he moves forward from this mess through the rest of this season, because I think he's unlikely to be fired before year's end.</p>
<p><b>Projected Lineup</b>: 4-1-4-1 - <span>Joe Willis</span>; <span>Chris Korb</span>, <span>Ethan White</span>, Brandon McDonald, <span>Taylor Kemp</span> (R); <span>Perry Kitchen</span>; <span>Kyle Porter</span>, Dwayne De Rosario (C), <span>Raphael Augusto</span>, <span>Nick DeLeon</span>; Carlos Ruiz</p>
<p><b>Score Prediction</b>: 2-2 draw</p>
<p align="center"><b>Black And Red United Asks Hot Time In Old Town</b></p>
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<p><b>1. Like United, the Fire were tabbed by some to make real noise in the Eastern Conference this year, building on a strong run at the end of last season. And like United, those predictions were completely off. Why haven't the results gone Chicago's way so far this year?</b><br><br> It's really a mixture of injuries, coaching, and player under-performance. Essentially one finger can't be pointed at a sole reason. It's more a perfect maelstrom of everything that can go wrong has at this point in the year. The Fire had a short stretch in April where we thought the team was turning the corner. Unfortunately our form dipped again, capped recently by two 1-0 crushing losses to the Union in back to back weeks.<br><br> Some of our new acquisitions this off-season, namely <span>Jeff Larentowicz</span>, <span>Joel Lindpere</span>, and <span>Dilly Duka</span> have just not shown up yet. Larentowicz has played the best out of the 3, but that's not saying much. A decently formidable strike crew last year in <span>Sherjill MacDonald</span> and <span>Chris Rolfe</span> has gone AWOL this year, and are yet to be seen (though Rolfe did score a goal in the Fire's 2-0 USOC win the other night). MacDonald has been a complete bust this year, and many Fire fans are calling for his head.</p>
<p><b>2. And here I thought my Black-and-Red and your Fire would be competing for the Wooden Spoon this year, then you have to go off and reinforce your defense with <span>Bakary Soumare</span> and pull off the coup of the year by trading for <span>Mike Magee</span>. How did Chicago pull off that double-swoop, and what impact will it have on the team?</b><br><br> Rumors floated around on Soumare for awhile. The big stumbling block was his cost, especially the cap figure. The Fire are a bit tight right now financially. To make some more moves this summer they are going to have to clear some room. Fortunately, in the end, it worked out for both parties. The Union ate some of his cost, and Soumare wanted to come back to Chicago. Considering Arne Friedrich looks likely to be out for the year (and also his career in Chicago ending), we were really smarting for some CB depth. While we are still thin at the position, Soumare's return is a huge boost to the defense.<br><br> In Magee's case, Fire fans were quite surprised when the news broke a few days ago. Most of us were of the idea that the Fire should go after Magee, but that would likely be too high of a price. I personally thought we would settle for some allocation money and a high draft pick or two. This ended up being a very happy ending for Chicago since <span>Robbie Rogers</span> wanted to come back to play for LA, and it ended up coming out that Mike Magee wanted to come home to Chicago. That gave the Fire much more leverage than any of us initially expected.<br><br> All in all, those 2 moves will be very big for the club. Magee bagged a goal the other night in USOC play, so he is already getting on the score sheet. This team is still far from complete and must make another move or two during the window to try to salvage a playoff position. But the past week has brought a very bright spot to a dreary Fire season thus far.</p>
<p><b>3. There have been rumors recently that United and the Fire have discussed a trade of Lionard Pajoy for Sherjill MacDonald. As much as D.C. fans aren't crazy about Pajoy, a lot of us balked at a straight up swap for Chicago's DP striker. Were we wrong to look at the Dutchman sideways? </b><br><br> Honestly right now I would take that trade in a second. While MacDonald was the true hold up striker we needed last year, this year has been a train wreck. Like "train running off the tracks and falling into a ravine and exploding" wreck. We all thought a full pre-season would be a big boost for the Dutchman. Instead, he showed up out of shape and overweight.<br><br> The first 2 months of the season didn't go well either, and at one point he was subbed off in the 2nd half and had to be pulled off the pitch by captain <span>Logan Pause</span>. I think the writing is on the wall about his exit sooner rather than later. With Magee coming in, and the Fire hopefully bringing in a striker in the summer window, there won't be any room for MacDonald. And he won't take that well. At this point a loan or trade seems to be the most amicable way for him to leave Chicago. Fans are tired of his schtick, and want to move on. For a guy making over $500,000 per year, we are getting zilch in return on that investment.<br><b><br> Predicted lineup</b>: Tornaghi, Anibaba, Soumare, Berry, Segares, Larentowicz, Pause, Duka, Nyarko, Rolfe, Magee<br><br><b>Score</b>: I think the new additions will give the Fire a nice boost. Although we haven't played well this year, we do better at home. Taking this into account, I will say we get a 2-0 win, with goals coming from Magee and Rolfe</p>
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2013/6/1/4386228/chicago-fire-vs-dc-united-mls-12-fireside-chat-with-black-and-redRyan Sealock