BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Ahead of the Chicago Fire's home opener against the Vancouver Whitecaps (6 pm ET, TSN), head coach Frank Yallop expects his team to be significantly improved from their opening day defeat to defending champions the LA Galaxy.
The Fire fell to a 2-0 reverse in LA in a game in which they struggled to find any rhythm or penetration, but after an uninterrupted week of training at home, Yallop foresees a marked improvement against a Whitecaps team that has never scored at Toyota Park.
“We weren’t at our best at all, I expect us to play a lot, lot better this weekend,” Yallop told reporters on a conference call this week. “I might make some changes to the lineup. We’re at home, we’ve got to make sure we get up for the team we’re playing against. So yeah, I’m excited about this weekend.”
Yallop’s preparations ahead of the LA game were hampered somewhat by the absence through injury of three potential starters in David Accam (groin), Adailton (concussion) and Razvan Cocis (plantar fasciitis), while three starters in Jeff Larentowicz, Chris Ritter and Harry Shipp missed training because of their involvement with the CBA talks. Cocis is still out, while Accam is rated as doubtful.
“Not having David [Accam] and Adailton and having a few guys out didn’t help and is perhaps the reason we didn’t quite get our game going,” he added. “A couple of guys banged up, three guys who didn’t train all week because of the CBA, so you put all that together and you’re playing against a team that’s waiting for you [LA Galaxy]. They’re the best in the league, very good at home, it all adds up to you better play exceptionally well to even get a result.”
Adailton made a scoring return to action in a low-key friendly against Notre Dame on Tuesday, as Yallop gave minutes to players not involved in LA, and is poised to start against Vancouver.
One change forced upon Yallop is in goal, where Sean Johnson has been ruled out because of an infection to the arm he injured during the preseason tour of England, with veteran Jon Busch expected to make his first start for the club since 2009.
Another important change made this year is a new playing surface at Toyota Park, with Yallop confirming that the snow-covered tarps came off on Monday with the grass beneath looking “surprisingly good” and ready for action on Saturday.
Looking ahead to the visit of Vancouver, Yallop is keen to get the club’s first win of the season under their belts and give the Toyota Park faithful something to cheer about following the disappointments of last season.
“It’s early in the season, they’ve got to find their feet and we’re still finding ours," he said. "We’ve just got to concentrate on getting wide, getting good service in the box, and doing all the things we’re supposed to be doing and doing well.
“They’re a good side, but I’m excited for this weekend and I want to see what we’ve got, see some real emotion and some good play in front of our fans.”
Shane Murray covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com.
