Chicago Fire defender Adailton (L), goalie Jon Busch, and midfielder Jeff Larentowicz. (Photo : Reuters)
Eastern Conference stragglers Philadelphia Union (6-13-5, 23 points) and Chicago Fire (6-12-4, 22 points) will have the opportunity to go up the standings with a win against each other in a 2015 Major League Soccer regular season game on Sunday, August 16. The match is scheduled at the Union's PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.
These two teams have just met in a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup semifinal game won by Philadelphia, 1-0, on Wednesday. With the win, the U will face Sporting Kansas City in the final of the Open on September 30.
Union's last MLS game was a goalless draw against Orlando City SC on August 8 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. It was a "back and forth affair" in the first half, but the possessions were dominated by the Lions in the second. Philadelphia held on for the tie and one point in the overall standings, as per Vavel.
Meanwhile, the Men in Red was at the losing end of a 0-1 match versus the Portland Timbers on August 7. Despite several opportunities, Chicago was not able to capitalize on any of them, as reported by SB Nation.
This is the second meeting between these two team this season, with Chicago fashioning a 1-0 nipping last March 29 at their home field. The Fire has a five-game unbeaten run against the Union, with two victories and three ties.
The prediction is a 1-0 win by Philadelphia over Chicago, which is simply a duplicate of what they did at the US Open.
Philadelphia Union starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): McCarthy; Edu, White, Fabinho, Gaddis; Pfeffer, Carroll; Maidana, Le Toux, Ayuk Mbu; Sapong
Chicago Fire starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): S. Johnson; Gehrig, Palmer, Jones, Larentowicz; Polster, Shipp, Maloney, Cocis; J. Johnson, Accam
