PBP: Home Opener Chicago Fire v. Cincinnati FC (forlorn chili) Soldier Field 7:30 MLS Season Pass

I'm not as gloom and doom. Yeah it was an away draw and a home loss.... Against the #3 ranked Philadelphia Union away and back home against the #4 ranked Cincinnati FC and then away next against the #1 ranked Columbus Crew. So...this team needs to gel but the scheduling has not been kind outta the gate. If they were losing these matches against St. Louis and DC United I'd be more worried but the new guys Acosta/Cuypers et al need to gel and some of the better Center Backs and also LB are still healing from injury. It's too soon to freak out and be frustrated in my humble opinion.

 

Ugh. We got a brutal schedule to start the year. I don’t like the tactics tonight. Not sure klopas was the right hire.

 

Agreed.

 

I actually liked the formation change to 3 4 2 1...though I'd love a Cinci styled 3 4 1 2 instead. Brady played great...Gimenez oddly I thought was good (and Herbers til gassed). Czichos my oh my...Cuypers might not have a shot but he fights for the ball both hold up and chase down ten times more then our strikers last season. Just not going to win many headers vs Miazga (has Miazga always been such a whiner?!?!).

 

I think this team needs some time to gel, but will get there. Watching live, comparing Shaqiri to Acosta on Cincy and whew, there's a huge gap in quality.

 

I don’t remember him being like that with Red Bull, but since he came back from Chelsea he’s been a total b*tch. He’s talented, but not a guy I’d want on my team.

Boupendza was flashing the final score with his hands post match, laughing and taunting. If I was on the Fire I’d be taking receipts from this game.

 

Still need pucks deep and pucks on net to win hockey games. Absolutely no pucks on net tonight. That's how you lose.

 

One thing he's not rethinking is his paycheck. That's why he's here.

 

Despite the upgrade in talent here I doubt there are more than 2-3 positions on the field one could say the Fire have better players. We've said for years that Herbers is a decent squad player on a decent team, but he's STILL starting here.

 

I don't remember any time the ball was won in the attacking third.

 

Pretend I'm a kindergartner and explain to me what you mean by a Cincy styled 3-4-2-1 vs what we saw the Fire do last night?

Agree. Herbers is an excellent soldier for the club but yes, not my choice for starting winger. I heard Mueller looked a bit rusty this preseason which makes sense coming off surgery and a long rehab stint. It will take him some time and minutes to get sharp and his speed back. Hopefully he returns to form and can contribute.

Also agree with those saying Cuypers was on an island out there. I'd prefer to see more link up play and while Cuypers was working hard there just was very little link up last night. Maybe it was because he's new and guys are figuring out what he likes and the type of runs he's going to make and where he wants the ball and maybe some of it was because these first few games are against the better clubs in the league or maybe it's a combination of both. To just say the "Fire suck" doesn't compute with me. All that being said, Lucho Acosta is a real magician out there and his distribution was excellent on perfectly weighted through balls, his first touch is spot on and he nearly chipped Brady in what would have been the goal of the week. I'd have started Fede and just man marked him out of the match by nipping at his heels until it was almost red card time, but I'm a bad person like that.

 

Agreed with most everything you said but that quote is important. Neither game did we look to be on our heels for a majority of the match just trying to hold on. And sometimes it’s not us, it’s them. There were 3-4 mid range passes to a lone Hugo that were intercepted by the defense. A little better execution by us and he’s free on goal.

 

I think it's amazing we got one goal given we had no offense.

It's only two matches in, but so far I've only seen one thing from Cuypers that makes him worth anything in my book.

In the match last night there was a point where he was all the way back *in* our goal and got a clearance off the line on one of their shots.

I don't recall a forward who would seriously defend since Ante.

That earns him a longer break than usual for me, but he's going to *need* to score some goals sometime.

 

Random thoughts….
Great attendance, but there wasn’t a huge “buzz” going into the stadium. I parked in the north garage, which didn’t help. My wife described that it felt like we were going to the airport. Ooof.
Brady was immense last night, and he’s going to have a great future. Kept us in the game.
Fire can’t keep possession and lazily try to hoof the ball over the defensive last player.
The siren thing seems lame and manufactured. It was cringey.
I would like to see two separate supporter sections. It’s very quiet for a supporters section.

 

I was texting my son who was in the Section last night basically saying Cuypers lifetime xG is something like 1.62. Therefore he's good for a goal every two games and while he didn't get one last night he's probably due to pop 2 in at some point although all these top teams on the schedule to start off the season are not exactly conducive to "work the kinks out" of a still gelling squad.

So was there a siren? I never heard it on the Apple TV. If so when? And how was it done?

 

I would like to see one functioning one, first…

 

This was a tough Cincy team, it's clear we have great plans coming out of the locker room, I don't know if Cincy touched the ball the first 10 minutes. Unlike Philly though we didn't carry that through the entire half. We needed a clean sheet in this one, and we did great defending run of play opportunities, but one bone headed needless mistake out the back sunk us.

 

...and one switch off on a corner/set piece. The margin was very close although Cinci had twice as many shots.

 

Yes, but I think the mentality switches once you've given up a goal. I know Frank has preached team defending and clean sheets, but we're giving up 2 goals a game.

 

I blocked out the Czichos choke. Oof.

 

1. Gutierrez sucked..his inability to be an attacking mid made all of Cuypers work up top
Useless. He dribbled and acted like a whirling dervish

2. Acosta looked slow and out of shape and useless as well.

3. Cuypers needs a striker up top to play with.
Two forwards is the only way this makes sense or Acosta and Diego need to learn how to ********ing run off the ball embarrassment!

Also to all of the fire TAKE A MUTHER********ING shot!!! WTF is the obsession with trying to always walk shit into the box