The last five MLS encounters between Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire have been goal heavy matches with the teams scoring an average of 4.6 goals combined. Thus as a surprise, only two goals occurred in this game where Philadelphia Union beat Chicago Fire with fair ease.
This tactical analysis will reveal the major aspects of both teams’ tactics. Seeking the answer to why Philadelphia Union struggled against Chicago Fire in spite of their victory.
Lineups
The home side deployed the usual 4-3-1-2 formation where the biggest change was the fact that Brenden Aaronson replaced Jamiro Monteiro who was out due to injury. Team captain Alejandro Bedoya had the usual freedom to join the first line, next to the attackers which foreshadowed an interesting question, namely, how will Chicago Fire protect the flanks. Whilst Marco Fabián often dropped centrally or moved outwards a bit to fill Bedoya’s position.
Veljko Paunović opted for a 3-5-2/3-1-4-2 structure to negate the opponent’s system. This formation theoretically could offer enough support in the last line as they create a 3v2 against the opposition two strikers. While they could close down the wings too. Of course, with Sapong and Nemanja Nikolić upfront, their major weapon was the counter-attacks.
