Slow-starting Crew look to reverse trend in Chicago
The Columbus Crew's habit for falling behind has led to a sustained slide for the reigning MLS Cup champion.
The resurgent Chicago Fire (4-9-5, 17 points) hope to add to the visitors' woes Sunday when the teams play at Soldier Field. The Fire are undefeated in their past three games (two ties and a win) and have lost only two of their last nine -- with three wins and four ties since June 26.
"We're hoping to keep the momentum going we've had the last couple of games and continue to play well," Fire defender Jonathan Bornstein said. "We're definitely ready for this game on Sunday against Columbus."
Columbus (6-6-6, 24 points) has trailed 2-0 in the first half in five of its past eight matches, a big reason the Crew have lost three straight and are 2-4-2 in the past 10 games.
"I think the key thing now is not letting a rough week turn into another rough week," Crew coach Caleb Porter said. "We have to reset, really important. We have to remind ourselves where we're at. We're still in playoff position. We're four points off the top three."
Columbus has conceded the first goal within the opening 15 minutes in four of its past eight matches. That's critical because the Crew are 5-0-0 when scoring first this season and 1-6-2 when they don't. They also have four scoreless draws.
"Throughout the season we knew we were going to have tough moments like this," said Crew defender and team captain Jonathan Mensah. "But tough moments don't last. Tough people last."
In defeating the New York Red Bulls 2-1 last Sunday, the Fire got off to the kind of fast start that Columbus fears. Chicago's Luka Stojanovic scored twice within the opening eight minutes, becoming the fourth player to do that in MLS history, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He leads the team with five goals this season.
Chicago has not lost a home game to the Crew in more than six years, dating back to July 16, 2015. That's seven games, with two Fire wins and five draws since Columbus won 1-0 at the Fire's former home in Bridgeview, Ill.
--Field Level Media
