56
Saturday’s match is be the 56th time that United have faced the Chicago Fire in the MLS regular season since the Fire came into the league in 1998. United hold a healthy advantage in the regular season series with a 22-18-15 all-time record.
4
It’s been four seasons since United last lost to the Chicago Fire dating all the way back to 2013. Last season, the Black-and-Red tied twice and won once against the Fire. The 6-2 win against Chicago at RFK on August 27, thanks in part to a Patrick Mullins hat trick, tied the franchise mark for most goals scored—the fourth time in team history they’ve reached six goals in a game.
31
Veteran United defender Bobby Boswell has played 31 times against the Fire all-time, which puts him at second all-time among active players (behind Brian Carroll’s 34 appearances). Boswell also has the distinction of scoring five times against Chicago, which is the third-most goals against the Fire scored among active players and first among defenders. He scored the game-tying goal in stoppage time last season in a 2-2 draw on September 16.
41
United goalkeeper Bill Hamid has the most saves in the league so far this season with 41. Hamid, who recently became the fourth-youngest player in Major League Soccer history to reach 15,000 minutes, has played against the Fire eleven times and has 37 saves and a 1.43 goals-against average (fifth among active goalkeepers with at least five games played) all-time.
5
Three members of the Black-and-Red are tied for the lead among active players in all-time assists against the Chicago Fire: Luciano Acosta, Sébastien Le Toux and Lloyd Sam. Acosta has been a focal point of United’s offense this season and averaged 54 touches per game in his six starts. Sam leads the team with 17 chances created so far this season, with 14 coming in the last four games.
10
Fire forward Nemanja Nikolic leads MLS at this point in the season after scoring 10 goals in 11 games. The 28-year-old Hungary international, who arrived as a Designated Player in the offseason from Polish side Legia Warsaw, scored a brace in the 3-0 win over Colorado on Wednesday and became the fastest player in Fire history to reach the 10-goal mark.
Pre-Match Coverage
