Both teams sit just outside the playoffs.
Chicago Fire travel to the Gillette Stadium on Saturday for a game that could push them into a playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Their hosts, New England Revolution, sit one point behind Chicago and three points form the playoff position, a win could take them level with Houston Dynamo.
The Revolution come off the back of two consecutive losses, most recently a 3-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City, which sits in stark contrast to Chicago’s recent form – The Fire are unbeaten in four games, with their last game yielding a 2-1 victory over Montréal Impact.
The Revolution may use the game to give their recent signing Charlie Davies some game time, having signed the US international at the end of the transfer window.
“(My wife) was probably more excited than I was,” said Davies after training on Wednesday. “After she graduated college from Boston College she came out to live with me in Europe, so she hasn’t really been stateside except for two weeks at a time. She’s ecstatic to be around her friends and family. We live five minutes from her parents’ home”.
“I’m so happy because she’s so happy. That makes me happy. And when you’re happy you play well,” said Davies.
REFEREE: Allen Chapman. AR1 (bench): Chris Strickland; AR2 (opposite): Colin Arblaster; 4th: Ricardo Salazar
MLS Career: 27 games; FC/gm: 20.6; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 4; pens: 7
DISABLED LIST: DAL: Peter Luccin; Ugo Ihemelu (season-ending injury)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: POR: Pa Modou Kah, Diego Chara … DAL: Je-Vaughn Watson
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: POR: Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Will Johnson, Ben Zemanski … DAL: Blas Perez, George John, David Ferreira
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (7 meetings): Timbers 2 wins, 7 goals … FC Dallas 2 wins, 14 goals … Ties 3
AT PORTLAND (3 meetings): Timbers 2 wins, 5 goals … FC Dallas 0 wins, 3 goals … Ties 1
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