Page 10 - Raphael Wicky News Today

D.C. United and the Chicago Fire will both aim to reverse recent downward trends when they meet on Thursday night in Washington, D.C.

Courtesy of the Fire Win, lose or draw, the Fire need something to feel good about. Entering the game Thursday night at D.C. United, they’re winless and have dropped three in a row. They’ve been outscored 9-1 since scoring their first two goals of the season, and tough questions are being asked about the direction of the team as a result of the slow start. So anything positive Thursday would go a long way and give the Fire something to use as a foundation. There were some bright spots du...

Doom Discussion May 2021: Uncomfortable Truths By Talgrath on May 9, 2021, 7:54pm PDT 5 Follow Sounder At Heart on Twitter Like Sounder At Heart Facebook Uncomfortable Truths About the Whole Super League Fiasco Weve all been having a good, hearty chuckle at the Super League fiasco, from Manchester United fans storming the field, to founder Andrea Agnelli immediately admitting defeat, fines for clubs that participated and talk of removing points from the offending tea...

AP Photos Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin doesn’t throw words around. So when he said he’s sure that the plan put in place by owner Joe Mansueto, sporting director Georg Heitz and coach Raphael Wicky will bring success to the Fire, it wasn’t something he said simply because of his long playing career in Chicago. “It’s not a question anymore,” Curtin said. “[The Fire fans] would have my word that this is going to work with this group of coaches and leaders.” Curtin, who spe...

Courtesy of the Fire Predictably, the results are looking familiar. A 2-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday at Soldier Field extended the Fire’s season-opening winless streak to four. Dating to last season, the Fire haven’t won in 10 matches. They’ve been outscored 9-1 since taking a 2-0 lead in their season-opening match against New England, and they followed up a dreary 2-0 loss last Saturday to the Red Bulls with another performance that fell apart in the second half. Pro...

"It’s always the same," Wicky said. "The team is there, the team is in the game ... then again out of nothing, you make a big mistake, and it costs us the game."

Courtesy of the Fire Continuity was supposed to bring success for the Fire. Two games into the season, the most prominent aspects to carry over have been negative. Entering Saturday’s match at the New York Red Bulls, the Fire have allowed five goals in two games, and the back line has looked leaky like it did in 2020. They had a prime chance to win their opener but turned a 2-0 lead into a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution, carrying over another trend of wasting leads and not finishing...

Atlanta United vs. Chicago Fire: Gameday Guide and How to Watch Can Chicago win a road match for the first time since 2019? Share this story Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images But the biggest storyline heading into the match has to be this: Can the Fire finally pick up a win on the road? The last time Chicago won a true road match—a 5-2 season ending win against Orlando City in 2019—Bastian Schweinsteiger was playing his last game as a pro. Atlanta’s normally incredible ...

Courtesy of the Fire After spending 12 years with one Chicago sports team, Jeff Tanaka is adjusting to working with another. Let go by the Bulls in May 2020 after the team hired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley to revamp the franchise, Tanaka became the Fire’s head athletic trainer last fall. When the Bulls moved on from him, the Sun-Times reported that Tanaka wasn’t being ‘‘scapegoated’’ for injuries but that the...

Corey Baird then opened the scoring in the 61st minute for Los Angeles FC with a fine strike after he was set up by Danny Musovsk. Moments before the end of the game, Opoku then set up Jose Cifuentes to seal the victory for Bob Bradley’s men at Banc of California Stadium and ensured they started the MLS season on a winning note. Meanwhile, South Africa international Kamohelo Mokotjo featured prominently as FC Cincinnati played out a 2-2 draw with Nashville SC. Mokotjo started the encounter a...