Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire

We’ve made it through the week and that means that another Orlando City match is right around the corner. This Saturday sees the Lions return to Exploria Stadium to take on the visiting Chicago Fire.

A visit from Chicago means I took the time to speak with Ruben Tisch, the big boss over at The Lantern. Like us, The Lantern has gone independent, and the folks over there are continuing to provide excellent coverage of all things related to the Chicago Fire.

Talk me through the Fire’s transfer business during the off-season. Who were the arrivals and how have they performed so far?

Ruben Tisch: The Fire didn’t really have a loud winter transfer window. It’s mostly the same squad with two exceptions. They brought in Maren Halie-Slassie from sister club FC Lugano and MLS legend Kei Kamara. 

MHS has been arguably up there with Brian Gutierrez as the most impactful player on the team this year. He gives the Fire a vertical option on the wing, something that the team hasn’t really had since David Accam left the club. He has good technique on the ball and the smarts to get himself in good spots to be the most effective.

The other big name is Kei Kamara. You all know Kei Kamara. Third most goals scored (for now) in MLS history Kei Kamara. Has played for 10 different MLS teams Kei Kamara. I won’t say he’s been transformative. The Fire still have one of the worst goal-scoring rates in the league. But it’s nice that when the club plays they don’t feel like not scoring is inevitable. There’s always a chance to score a goal with him on the pitch.

Are there any areas that you would like to see the Fire strengthen during the summer transfer window, or are you happy with what the team has?

RT: This question has a much more complicated answer than you bargained for. The Fire are currently going through a lame-duck front office. By the January window, there will be a new front office and manager going into 2024. So ideally, I’d have liked to see a marquee signing to fill the remaining DP spot the club had, but that was never going to happen due to those circumstances.

Regardless, the Fire have already made their big move, signing Ousmane Doumbia (also from FC Lugano) to be their third Designated Player for the rest of the season. He’s a 6/8 hybrid that should help bring some more balance to the roster, especially if they’re about to lose a central midfielder.

Chicago has had success on the road lately, winning its last two matches against Portland and Sporting Kansas City, and doing so on short rest. What worked so well for the Fire in those matches?

RT: The simple answer is that they went back to a back-four system. For the last month or so, the team has been playing with a back three, sacrificing a defender to get Xherdan Shaqiri and Brian Gutierrez on the field at the same time. It hasn’t really worked. The Fire had continued to leak goals through that entire stretch for not much benefit on the other end. While the interplay between Shaq and Guti was aestetically pleasing, it didn’t really improve the team’s winning prospects. 

They also have improved their defending on set pieces. That was where they blew most of their leads late was either directly off a set piece or off of a recycled ball from one. It’s not quite elite-level stuff, but it’s been good enough to win two in a row.

Are there any players who will be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc? What is your projected Starting XI and score prediction?

RT: I honestly don’t know enough about Orlando to give a prediction. Because of the nature of the schedule, I’ve watched more Western Conference teams than in the East. But on paper, the Fire have a better, more exciting roster. So I’ll be slightly biased in saying that the Fire get at least a point.

As for the starting XI, I don’t expect much change from Kansas City. At most, Carlos Teran and MHS could be back in the lineup after recovering from injury.

Chris Brady; Alonso Aceves, Rafael Czichos, Mauricio Pineda, Arnaud Souquet; Gaston Giminez, Federico Navarro; Jairo Torres, Brian Gutierrez, Fabian Herbers; Kei Kamara.

Thank you to Ruben for helping us get up to speed on Chicago. Vamos Orlando!