Match Pack: Chicago Fire vs Orlando City

Ahead of the Major League Soccer clash on May 30, Chicago Fire will be locking horns with Orlando City at Soldier Field. The Fire, in their recent struggle, gained a meager one point from their latest five fixtures, averaging about 0.2 points per game both at home and away. Their defense allowed both teams to score (BTTS) in three of those matches. Although their offense has only achieved three goals in the last five games and were left goalless in two, their record shows both teams scored in three matches suggesting their potential to retaliate.

Conversely, Orlando City presents a more comforting statistic with seven points from their last five games, averaging approximately 1.4 points per game. However, it’s worth noting that they only managed to score four times in those five games and have failed to find the net in three matches. Despite this, they’ve been sturdy on the road, with an unbeaten streak in their last four games.

Looking at their head-to-head data, they have faced each other 18 times, with Chicago Fire winning five times, Orlando City taking home the victory seven times, and six matches ending in a draw. The last encounter saw Orlando City defeating Chicago Fire 3-2. Both teams have had issues with finishing, failing to score in 40% and 43% of their games respectively, this season.

However, considering their form, Chicago Fire’s struggle at home, and Orlando City’s impressive away performance, the visitors seem to have a slight edge. Yet, the fact that their previous encounters produced an average of 2.94 goals per match and saw BTTS occur 61% of the time, suggests a likelihood for goal-scoring action.

In conclusion, while it’s expected to be a tight contest, Orlando City might just have the edge over Chicago Fire, but nothing is guaranteed in football. It is always a good practice to calculate your risks before placing your bets, considering current and past performance from both sides.

Insights

• Chicago Fire’s recent performance has been poor, averaging only 0.2 points per game from their last 5 matches.
• Despite their poor run, both teams have scored in 3 of the last 5 games Chicago Fire have played.
• Chicago Fire is struggling to score goals, failing to find the back of the net in 2 of their last 5 games and recording blank scores in 40% of this season’s games.
• In contrast, Orlando City has shown better performance with an average of 1.4 points per game from their last 5 matches.
• Orlando City has also displayed strong away form, staying unbeaten in 4 recent away games.
• However, Orlando City too has had issues scoring, with no goals in 3 of their last 5 games and failing to score in 43% of their games this season.
• When it comes to head-to-head matches, Orlando City seems to have the edge with 7 wins out of 18 meetings compared to Chicago Fire’s 5 wins.
• Previous encounters have typically been high-scoring affairs, with an average of 2.94 goals per match and both teams scoring 61% of the time.
• In terms of statistics from home and away games this season, Orlando City has outperformed Chicago Fire by averaging 1.67 Points Per Game in away matches, compared to Chicago’s home match rate of 0.88 Points Per Game.

Match Forecast

• Expect an aggressive match, as both teams play aggressively and also face aggressive play from opponents.
• Orlando City SC can exploit Chicago Fire’s weak defense against long shots and their performance in avoiding individual errors, possibly leading to scoring opportunities.
• Using through balls, which is Orlando City’s strength, can be effective against Chicago Fire’s poor defense, creating more scoring chances.
• Chicago is strong in finishing scoring chances and stealing balls from opposition. These qualities can be utilized to launch fast breaks, particularly down the wings, potentially challenging Orlando City’s weak aerial defense.
• Chicago Fire’s tendency to play in their own half, coupled with their difficulty in defending against set pieces and maintaining ball possession, may result in vulnerable periods of play if Orlando City SC maintains pressure.
• Chicago Fire’s weakness in avoiding offside may work with Orlando City’s tendency to play the offside trap, giving Orlando City SC opportunities to regain possession.
• Orlando City SC needs to be cautious of Chicago Fire’s aggressive style of play as they are weak in avoiding fouling in dangerous areas. This could lead to free-kicks or penalties for Chicago.

Match Facts

• In their most recent 11 home matches against Orlando City SC, Chicago Fire emerged victorious five times, with three matches ending in a draw and three in defeat. The overall goal tally stands at 25-13 in favour of Chicago Fire.
• Looking at their last 20 matchups, both Chicago Fire and Orlando City SC have 7 wins apiece, and 6 matches ending with a draw. The goal difference favours Chicago Fire, with a 36-27 scoreline.
• In their encounters last season, Orlando City SC defeated Chicago Fire in both matches, with identical 3-1 scores home and away.
• Currently, Chicago Fire’s form is on a downward curve, as they are on a losing streak of four consecutive MLS matches.
• Chicago Fire has an interesting stat: 43% of their goals are scored during the final 15 minutes of play (76-90 minutes), the highest percentage in the league.
• Similarly, Orlando City SC also scores a majority of their goals (40%) in the same time interval (76-90 minutes).
• Chicago Fire’s poor form continues as they have suffered four straight losses.
• The team has also been winless in their last eight matches.
• Their home form is even more concerning, as they have lost three straight matches on their home turf.
• In fact, it has been five consecutive home games without a win for Chicago Fire.
• On the contrast, Orlando City SC has been doing fairly well on the road, not suffering a loss in their last four away matches.
• Chicago Fire has struggled to win against Orlando City in recent times, failing in their last three attempts.
• In half of their home games this season (4 out of 8), Chicago Fire has not managed to get on the scoresheet.
• Orlando City SC has been goalless in two of their six away games this season.
• In the first half, Chicago Fire win only 8% of their matches compared to Orlando City SC’s 28% win rate.
• Their last meeting saw Orlando City SC emerge as victorious.
• Orlando City SC not only won their last match but did so with a two-goal difference.
• When in the leading position (1-0) at home, Chicago Fire managed to win 83% of the games; however, when trailing by a goal, their win percentage drops dramatically to only 7%.
• Conversely, Orlando City SC has a 100% winning record when leading (0-1) on the road, but their success rate dips to 30% when they are on the backfoot.
• As per the MLS performance charts, Orlando City has had a better performance than Chicago Fire.
• Even in the last five fixtures, Orlando City SC maintained a better performance than Chicago Fire.
• Significantly, Orlando City SC has remained unbeaten in their last five matches against Chicago Fire across all competitions.
• Out of the five recent encounters, Orlando City SC won four, while one ended in a draw.
• In MLS matches, Orlando City SC has never lost to Chicago Fire in the last five games.
• Chicago Fire has failed to win any of their last five MLS games against Orlando City SC.
• On average, Chicago Fire score 0.4 goals per match against Orlando City SC, whereas Orlando City SC net 1.6 goals against Chicago Fire.
• The average number of goals in matches between them is 2 with an average of 0.2 goals in the first half.
• Chicago Fire has an average goal score of 1.36 per home game and Orlando City SC averages 1.43 per away game.
• Chicago Fire’s Allan Arigoni leads the team in terms of yellow cards (5), while Cesar Araujo from Orlando City SC has 6.
• Chicago Fire has had defensive problems, conceding goals in each of their last five matches.
• Both Chicago Fire and Orlando City SC failed to win their most recent MLS match.