Following two home games last week, the Columbus Crew is back on the road this weekend. The Black & Gold travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.

Fire currently sits in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with eight draws in the team’s first 16 MLS games. Chicago has struggled recently, going 1-1-3 in the team’s last five matches. The Fire already fired former Columbus player and assistant coach Ezra Hendrickson and Frank Clopas is currently serving as the interim head coach until the end of 2023.

Chicago comes into this game with a near perfect injury slate. Striker Chris Mueller and defender Carlos Terán are out for the match, to players who have appeared in 10 matches, with Terán starting all 10 and Mueller making two substitute appearances.

The Crew also has a good update on the injury report. Winger Luis Diaz and goalkeeper Eloy Room have been upgraded from questionable and are cleared to play. Defenders Gustavo Vallecilla, Will Sands and Milos Degenek are still listed as out.

Can the Black & Gold continue their winning form against the Fire? The Massive Report staff gives their predictions for this game.

Ralph Schudel

It appears Columbus has righted its ways after suffering a mini-slump in the middle of May. The Black & Gold travel to the Windy City to battle a struggling rival inside the confines of Soldier Field. It’s also another chapter in the Crew’s rivalry with former striker Kei Kamara. 

The polarizing figure leads the Fire with four goals in 13 appearances. Columbus fans will remember his commanding presence in the air and likely against a trio of defenders that aren’t natural center backs, this could pose a bit of a problem. I believe Kamara scores one and this game is tighter than most are expecting, with Columbus escaping with just a point. 

Columbus Crew 1 Chicago Fire 1

Drew McDaniel

Seeing as both Columbus and Chicago have been scoring a lot of goals lately without defending particularly well, this will probably be end-to-end soccer with a somewhat unpredictable scoreline. The Crew should win this match and Cucho Hernandez will score multiple goals while providing another assist. Justin Meram scored against the Crew last week and the trend of former Black & Gold players scoring against Columbus will continue as Kei Kamara gets a late goal. The score of the game will be a bit wild with both teams scoring multiple goals.

Columbus Crew 4 Chicago Fire 3

Nathan Townsend

Saturday’s matchup is a test for both head coach Wilfried Nancy and the Crew as to whether or not the team’s style of play can translate outside the confines of Lower.com Field. The Fire seems a perfect team to perform against, as Chicago sits a mere two points above the bottom of the conference. However, the Fire has not lost at home this season, going 2-6-0 and earning 12 points. That ends on Saturday, as the Crew scores early and often in Chicago, racing out to a three-goal lead before the Fire get a consolation goal. I have Cucho Hernandez, Lucas Zelarayan and Christian Ramirez all getting a goal as the Crew continue winning ways.

Columbus Crew 3 Chicago Fire 1

Patrick Murphy

The Crew got some momentum back last week with two wins at home after a slight slump. The Black & Gold have only won once on the road this year, and that was against a struggling D.C. United team. That makes this interesting because the Fire is not a good team. A Kei Kamara revenge game could be on the tap, given Columbus’ backline situation, but I think the Crew gets a second road win in a high-scoring game between two teams that can’t defend.

Columbus Crew 4 Chicago Fire 2

Caleb Denorme

Coming off back-to-back wins, the Crew looks to extend the streak to three against Chicago. The Fire sits second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, only ahead of Inter Miami, but Chicago also doesn’t have Lionel Messi coming to join the ranks. Since firing Ezra Hendrickson, the Fire has seen an uptick in performance, but I don’t think it will be enough to beat a hot Columbus side.

Columbus Crew 3 Chicago Fire 1

Ryan Schmitt

The Crew has scored at least thee goals in back-to-back games and it seems like the offense is clicking, albeit against some of the worst defenses in MLS. But goals count the same regardless of the opponent. I think this trend will continue against a coach-less Chicago team.

Columbus Crew 3 Chicago Fire 1