Toronto FC vs Chicago Fire Preview, Odds, Predictions (May 31)

Initial Thoughts

As Chicago Fire head to BMO Field in a must win game for both sides, will TFC’s expensively assembled squad turn the corner on the pitch after acrimony and drama on the sidelines?

The Narrative

A star playing speaking out. A dreadful run of results. Rumors of a toxic dressing room. And the club rooted to the bottom of the table. 

The events of last week were hardly the best preparation for TFC to face D.C United. But Bob Bradley’s bold move in dropping Federico Bernardeschi appeared to pay off in spades, as Toronto held on to secure their first win in a month and rack up only a second victory in the last ten outings.

The 2-1 win at BMO Field was also notable for its goal scorers. 20 year old Deandre Kerr took Bernardeschi’s place in the starting line up and needed only 14 minutes to justify his inclusion by finding the net. While Toronto’s all important second strike came from homegrown talent Kosi Thompson.

Lorenzo Insigne arguably produced his best ever performance in a TFC jersey, and Bob Bradley now has some serious decisions to make ahead of Wednesday’s matchup against Chicago Fire.

The Fire are on their second head coach of the year after Ezra Hendrickson made way for Frank Klopas last month.

But Klopas has so far overseen just a solitary win in his four games in charge, and Chicago arrive in Wednesday night's matchup on the back of two consecutive six goal thrillers.

Having fought back to secure a 3-3 draw at home to Atlanta United, the Fire threw away a two goal lead to New England Revolution to see the scoreline read 3-3 yet again.

At BMO Field on Wednesday, Chicago are looking for their second win in their last eight matches, while TFC will aim to secure back to back wins for the first time this season.

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Nuts & Bolts

Bob Bradley’s side have lost only once in eight matches at BMO this season, and TFC ran out 3-2 winners when the two sides met on the bay shore last season.

Deandre Kerr also found the net in that matchup, and it will be interesting to see if the Ajax, Ontario native will keep his place in the starting 11 or make way for the outspoken Federico Bernardeschi.

The Fire claimed all three points when TFC traveled south last campaign, with two goals inside the first 20 minutes ultimately leading to a 2-0 Chicago win on the day.

Frank Klopas’ side have lost three of their last four on the road, and the Fire have won just one away fixture this season courtesy of a 3-2 victory against Inter Miami back in March.

All eyes will be on Bob Bradley, as another win here will rubber stamp his position at the club for a little while longer, while another poor performance will heap pressure on the head coach and add more fuel to the fire in a dressing room full of egos but so far low in performance.

Homestand Picks

All odds courtesy of Northstar Bets

Lorenzo Insigne anytime goal (+133)

Lorenzo Insigne produced his first assists of the year on the weekend and was TFC’s standout player against D.C United. Can the Italian playmaker  build on that performance to find his second goal of the season on Wednesday night?

Pre-pack Parlay: Both teams to score & over 2.5 goals (+102)

Chicago have conceded three in both of their last two outings and they’ve conceded in all but one of their last nine. TFC scored twice for the first time in six games last weekend, but their 11 shots and 5 on target will give Bob Bradley’s side plenty of confidence heading into this matchup.

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