CHICAGO FIRE vs PHILADELPHIA UNION
TOYOTA PARK, Bridgeview, Ill.
March 29, 2015 (WEEK 4, MLS Game #25)
4 p.m. CT (ESPN2; ESPN Deportes)
Still looking for their first point of the new season, the Chicago Fire return to Toyota Park to face Philadelphia Union on Sunday afternoon before an ESPN2 audience. The Fire dropped their third contest to kick off the campaign last weekend, falling 2-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes in the opening of Avaya Stadium. Union hit the road also winless on the year, dropping their first match after two draws in a 2-0 defeat by FC Dallas at PPL Park last weekend.
- The Fire saw their season-opening losing streak reach three games, falling 2-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes in the opening of Avaya Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Harry Shipp scored the first goal of the year for the Fire, ending the club’s season-opening goalless drought at 209 minutes.
- The Union saw their winless streak to open the season reach three games – but lost for the first time in 2015 in their 2-0 defeat to FC Dallas on Saturday afternoon at PPL Park in a game delayed a day by weather.
- The teams played to three draws in three meetings a year ago, two coming at Toyota Park and one at PPL Park.
- The Fire haven’t won at home vs. Union since 2012; Philadelphia has won two of the four Bridgeview meetings since, with two draws. The Fire have come away with points on their last two trips to Chester.
REFEREE: David Gantar. AR1 (bench): Matthew Nelson; AR2 (opposite): Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho; 4th: Nima Saghafi
MLS Career: 36 games; FC/gm: 25.7; Y/gm: 2.7; R: 12; pens: 7
DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)
SUSPENDED: PHI: Zach Pfeffer (through April 5)
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: CHI: Shaun Maloney (SCO; vs NIR 3/25, vs GIB 3/29); David Accam (GHA; vs SEN 3/27, vs MLI 3/31)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (13 meetings): Fire 4 wins, 15 goals … Union 5 wins, 16 goals … Ties 4
AT CHICAGO (7 meetings): Fire 2 wins, 8 goals … Union 2 wins, 9 goals … Ties 3
RETURN MATCH: 8/16: Philadelphia Union vs. Chicago Fire, 7 p.m. ET (FS1)
CHECK OUT THE INJURY REPORT HEADING INTO THE MATCH
CHECK OUT THE DISCIPLINARY REPORT HEADING INTO THE MATCH
WITH FIVE STARTERS OUT, UNION PLAN TO PLAY NOGUEIRA IN NO. 10 ROLE
YALLOP DEFENDS FIRE GK JOHNSON AFTER ROUGH START TO SEASON
