Salétros: "We Must Learn From Our Recent Defeats and Focus on the Playoffs"
Chicago Fire midfielder Anton Salétros believes his side must take lessons from their recent MLS defeats before the playoffs.
Chicago Fire midfielder Anton Salétros believes his side must take lessons from their recent MLS defeats before the playoffs.
With four games left in the regular season, the Fire sit fourth in the Eastern Conference. First up is a trip to Atlanta United for a side that has lost its rhythm in recent weeks.
After a three-game winning streak, Chicago came away empty-handed in back-to-back matches last week. They were beaten 3-1 by the Philadelphia Union and then suffered a 1-0 defeat against the New England Revolution.
Despite the six points dropped, Salétros feels there are positives to take from the team's recent football.
"I think we are improving and learning new things every week," said Salétros, who wore the captain's armband against New England. "Going through games like these, where we didn't play badly but still didn't win, will be very important for us, especially ahead of the playoffs, where a single moment can decide everything. It's a good experience to go through this as a team. Of course we want to win every game, so after a defeat there are mixed emotions and nobody is happy."
Atlanta United, 14th in the Eastern Conference, are just six points off the playoff places ahead of hosting Chicago. In their last league outing, Atlanta lost 3-1 to Inter Miami in a match in which Lionel Messi scored twice.
Players to watch
Atlanta United – Fafà Picault
Picault scored Atlanta's only goal against Inter Miami, converting a penalty in the 89th minute. Since the start of the 2018 season, the experienced forward has scored 15 regular-season goals in the 85th minute or later, a tally bettered only by Carles Gil (16).
Chicago Fire – Maren Haile-Selassie
Haile-Selassie has scored Chicago's last two goals against Atlanta. He netted the only goal in a 1-0 win in May, and he also scored his side's final goal in a 2-2 draw in July last year. No active MLS player has a longer scoring streak against Atlanta in the league.
Form and head-to-head
Chicago allowed just five shots in their defeat to New England. It was the third time this season that the Fire have faced five or fewer shots in an MLS match.
Atlanta, meanwhile, outshot their opponents by 14 (21-7) in their 3-1 home defeat to Miami. It was the fourth league match this season in which Atlanta have outshot an opponent by 14 or more, the most in a single season in club history.
Atlanta have won seven of their eight regular-season home matches against Chicago (1 draw), averaging 2.75 points per game. Since 2000, the only MLS team to post a higher home points average against another team is Los Angeles FC against the Seattle Sounders (2.80).