It’s now or never for the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.
They have eight matches remaining in the regular season and have a hole to climb out of should they want to qualify for the postseason. Now Chicago has to host Inter Miami a week after stealing a point at NYCFC.
The big question remains whether Lionel Messi will play, though that is looking less and less likely with each passing day. Regardless of which big name from the Fort Lauderdale-based squad is in Chicago on Saturday, the Fire need to get a result at home against their Eastern Conference foe.
The last time these two sides faced off at Soldier Field, Maren Haile-Selassie came off the bench and broke the deadlock with two goals within five minutes. In the process, he made a name for himself with his instant impact that propelled the Fire to victory over the Messi-less Miami side.
Nearly 11 months later, Haile-Selassie would like to make a similar impact as his side needs results to go their way in the final eight matches if they want to make the postseason for the first time since 2017.
“It was a very important win,” Haile-Selassie told On Tap Sports Net after training on Tuesday. “That game I came off the bench, so I just tried to impact the game. And you know [smirks], I did my best.
“[I] was lucky enough to score two goals, and yeah, like you said, after that, the recognition went high a little bit. But I kept my feet on the ground and this year, hopefully, I can help the team again to win.”
This Miami side now has Luis Suárez and his 14 goals in Major League Soccer in their lineup, creating more for the Fire to deal with in 2024. That will force the Fire to get the crowd on their side early at Soldier Field.
“I feel like they made a big jump again on the roster, they are a little bit wider in quality. So it's going to be a tough game, of course, at home again in front of our supporters, we expect a big crowd again. So it's on us to hype them up.”
Chicago currently sits 13th in the Eastern Conference with 26 points, trailing Atlanta United by two points for the final playoff spot with eight matches remaining. The urgency is felt throughout the squad.
“These are important games for us. It's been an important point now and now a home game is very important. We just try to build on that and try to give everything to achieve the playoffs.”
Chicago won’t want to repeat their performance from the first half against NYCFC last weekend which saw them trailing 2-0 at the break. They are looking to build on the momentum of overcoming that two-goal deficit created in Queens.
“It was a tough game. I think you could see that it's been a while for us since we had a game, and they were in rhythm.
“It shows again, once more, the character of the team that we came back and still took a point on against a very, very good team. Hopefully, we can build on that.”
What’s On Tap Next?
The Fire will host Inter Miami at Soldier Field on August 31. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
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