The Black & Gold head north this weekend to take on the Chicago Fire in Bridgeview after three straight wins. The match will be held at Toyota Park with a 2 p.m. ET kickoff and can be viewed on ABC-6, Spectrum Sports, and BCSN2 in Ohio or nationally via MLS Live.
The Midwest rivals will tangle for a second time this season. Overall, Crew SC hold a 17-24-17 record against Chicago. The two teams have met once already this season, resulting in a 1-1 draw at MAPFRE Stadium in the season opener on March 4.
In the 2017 regular season opener, Crew SC opened the scoring early when midfielder Ethan Finlay got his head on a cross by midfielder Justin Meram in the 15th minute. Meram has now recorded three goals and two assists in five games, and will certainly pose a threat for the Fire. Columbus has scored seven goals in their current three-game winning streak and sit at the top of the Eastern Conference through Week 5.
The Fire have made one big change since their last matchup up against the Black & Gold – the addition of the German legend, Bastian Schweinsteiger. Schweinsteiger started for his new club last week against Montreal and found the back of the net just 17 minutes into his MLS debut. However, the Fire squandered their lead, and Montreal managed to score twice before a late Chicago equalizer tied things up.
The Black & Gold then return home for the first leg of the Trillium Cup against Toronto FC on April 15 for an 8 p.m. kickoff at MAPFRE Stadium.
