Preview: Toronto FC host Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri and slumping Chicago Fire

Toronto FC will welcome Xherdan Shaqiri to BMO Field on Saturday when the Reds host the Chicago Fire in Week 14 MLS action. Kickoff is at 7 pm ET.

The 30-year-old midfielder joined the Windy City in the offseason in a blockbuster move from Olympique Lyon. According to the figures released by the MLSPA, the former Bayern Munich and Liverpool man is the highest-paid player in the league – at least until the arrival of Lorenzo Insigne in July – making $8.15 million in guaranteed compensation this season, more than $2 million more than the second-highest paid player in the league: Javier Hernandez ($6 million).

For 21-year-old Woodbridge, Ont., native Jordan Perruzza, he’s looking forward to the opportunity of playing against the Swiss international.

“It’s always exciting playing against the best players in the league,” Perruzza told media from the BMO Training Grounds on Friday afternoon. “It’s a dream come true growing up to watch these players and now to get to share the field with them. It’s exciting for everyone.”

The Fire spent big money to bring Shaqiri in this offseason, but so far, their investment hasn’t paid great dividends. Personally, Shaqiri has been fine, scoring three times and adding four assists in 11 matches. But as a team, not so much. There’s only one side that has been worse than Toronto (3-7-3) in the Eastern Conference this season and that’s Chicago (2-6-5), who have gone nine games without a win.

Like TFC, who are winless in six, the Fire are looking to put an end to that drought on Saturday with a victory.

“We’re expecting a fight, a battle,” said Perruzza. “They’ve got a lot of talented players just like us who are trying to find ways to get wins at home and on the road, so we’re just expecting a fight and we’re going to come with it as well.”

“Early in the year, you see a lot of hard-fought tight games, and they’re still working through that in terms of figuring out exactly what they are and how they can improve in a bunch of different areas, so I think there are similarities in that regard,” added TFC head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley.

Chicago is also trying to accomplish something they haven’t been able to do in seven years: beat TFC. Toronto FC have gone 13 games unbeaten against the Fire dating back to 2015, picking up 10 wins over that span. They haven’t dropped a game to Chicago at BMO Field since 2012.

The Reds are hoping that trend continues on Saturday in front of what should hopefully be another packed crowd. Their May 14 game at BMO Field against Orlando City SC had upwards of 26,000 fans in attendance.

Toronto will also be delighted by the potential return of 2020 MLS MVP Alejandro Pozuelo, who has missed the club’s last two matches. The Spaniard, as well as first-year MLS pro Kadin Chung, were both in full training and are making progress towards a return. There’s a possibility we see Pozuelo and Chung back in the matchday squad on Saturday.

With Toronto’s squad inching closer to full health, with their historic dominance over Chicago, and with the Fire in flux heading into Saturday’s game, this weekend presents an ideal opportunity for Toronto to pick up all three points for the first time since April 16.

Predicted Starting XI

Bono; Thompson, Salcedo, O’Neill, Shaffelburg; Bradley, Osorio; Nelson, Pozuelo, Petrasso; Jiménez

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Injury Reports

Toronto FC: Chris Mavinga (OUT), Noble Okello (OUT), Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty (OUT), Alejandro Pozuelo (Questionable), Kadin Chung (Questionable)

Chicago Fire: Rafael Czichos (Questionable), Mauricio Pineda (Questionable), Jairo Torres (Questionable), Chris Brady (OUT), Spencer Richey (OUT)

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Betting Lines

Toronto FC (+185) | Chicago Fire (+138) | Draw (+245)

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