The Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire have not met preseason expectations as they prepare to face off on Saturday afternoon in Chester, Pennsylvania.
The Union (0-4-0, 0 points) is the first defending Supporters’ Shield winner to start a season with four consecutive losses.
Personnel changes are a factor in their struggles. Striker Tai Baribo was traded to D.C. United, fullback Kai Wagner was sold to Birmingham City in England, and center back Jakob Glesnes was transferred to the Los Angeles Galaxy for allocation funds.
New players have yet to make a significant impact, especially in scoring, as strikers Bruno Damiani and Ezekiel Alladoh remain without goals.
However, the Union’s narrow defeat in the Concacaf Champions Cup could offer some hope. They managed a 1-1 draw in the second leg against Club America in Mexico City, losing the series 2-1 overall, and came close to scoring several times in the second half.
Philadelphia’s manager, Bradley Carnell, expressed pride in the team’s effort despite recent setbacks, stating, “We lost the series, but I feel today as a group, after the struggles we’ve had in recent times, we win as a group.”
Meanwhile, Chicago (1-2-1, 4 points) comes off a frustrating 2-1 home loss to D.C. United last Saturday.
The Fire aims for a second consecutive playoff spot, something they haven’t achieved since making the postseason five times in a row from 2005 to 2009.
After taking the lead with Hugo Cuypers’ third goal, including his first penalty kick, Chicago conceded two goals late in the match.
Fire manager Gregg Berhalter noted that the performance wasn’t as poor as it seemed, pointing out that they had multiple opportunities to score if their passes had been better placed.
Philip Zinckernagel is still looking for his first goal of the season after scoring 15 in his debut MLS year with Chicago.
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