Pre-match: This time it's Happening! Fire at Messi FC (sans Messi) 7.22.26

Is Goretzka out?

 

I cannot wait to see Lewandowski misses a shot and people start bitching "Hugo would have.. happen in real time at some point, either tonight or in a future game. I don’t think it will happen here, most of us seem to be smart enough not to make completely asinine statements, but Reddit and twitter have a much higher user base and much higher ratio of dopes to semi-intelligent people.

Anyway, we win this one easily, obviously. I don’t think Lewandowski scores even if he plays, but wouldn’t be surprised if he does either. My guess is a 2-0 victory with 2nd half goals by Kosecki and Kotschau.

 

Yes a lot of those people probably don't realize the fire had an easier 1st half schedule too.

 

It would be 4-0 if Cuypers played! There! Got the ball rolling.

 

Two months ago I saw a graph that shows us with the third hardest remaining schedule, if I remember correctly.

 

Gotta beat the best to be the best! LFG!

 

One point of clarification on the Hugo situation. Can anyone else confirm that Hugo had a club option for 2027, so he would not have left for free at the end of the season and the Fire "could" have kept him and sold him next summer after the sprint season. All the same, if the player wanted to go, good on the Fire for accommodating him. Strikers need to have ego's and if he felt that Lewy was stepping on his toes, taking his number and minutes, so be it, but how was that conversation not had months ahead of time? What was Gregg doing?

 

I predict I will be in this thread screaming about D'Avila per usual.

 

Hugo was signed through 2026 with a club option for 2027
CFFC absolutely could have exercised their option to avoid him leaving on a free.

Interesting tangent/side note: Miami getting their hand slapped for not following rules

Yeah i’m sure MLS is really going to punish Miami here… pic.twitter.com/SAUUY3PTea

— Joe Chatz (@JoeChatz) July 22, 2026

 

I predict it will be warranted

 

Inter Miami signs Casemiro, but MLS investigating club for possible tampering
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/74...hared_gift_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta

 

Soooo, no mention of Barroso?
Thought GGG said ‘no timeline’…maybe he mistakenly bundled him in with Franco??

I’m always curious about XI and formation…particularly so for tonight! Presuming it won’t be a 4-4-2, but it might be 4-4-2 like…have Lod up top with Lewy but drop deep into false9/cam/10 4-2-3-1 like. OR we go back to 4-3–3 and have Lod and Saletros as the dual 8s.

 

I have not seen the actual contract but multiple sources have indicated Fire had an option for 2027 ( not an option for him to refuse) But who wants a totally disgruntled player at striker?
Thought crossed my mind that a lot of discussion about this between Fire and Cuypers could have happened earlier or even at start of season.

 

Can’t help but feel Hugo’s agent and/or CFFC sporting have been beating the bushes for a while and a ‘reasonable option’ showed up in the last week or so.

hard to imagine Hugo was ‘just pretending’ to be nice and GGG was head faking us with ‘two strikers of this quality is going to be handful for the opposition!’

 

I wish I was at a brewery in Poland....or even cavorting with South Korean college girls.
The great thing about college girls is every year I keep getting older but they always stay the same age!



Fire can smash and grab 3 points away from a weakened Miami side with porous defense. I think it's doable.

 

So Big Bob starts, Waterman for TLB, Dean for Barroso. Bamba, Zinck, and MHS with Dje and Saletros behind them.

So GGG stays with 4-2-3-1, what a shocker.

 

Maybe....or maybe 4-3-3


The MLS live broadcast is showing us in a 4-4-2!

 

Bamba, Zinck, and MHS will be able to pop up all over the field anyway so the formation is almost meaningless.

 

OK shot of Fireball and Gumballhead and here we go!!!