Chicago Fire FC vs Columbus Crew SC, 2018
Overview
Match Preview
Chicago Fire FC vs Columbus Crew SC — MLS .
- Chicago Fire FC 34 games · 55 pts (2026/26)
- Columbus Crew SC 34 games · 47 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Jair Marrufo
- Referee Peter Balciunas
- Referee Ian Anderson
- Referee Victor Rivas
8 games this season
🟨 1.0/game
⚽ 4.6 goals/game
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 34 | 77 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 34 | 60 |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 34 | 58 |
| 4 | Chicago Fire FC | 34 | 55 |
| 5 | Charlotte FC | 34 | 54 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 50 |
| 7 | Columbus Crew SC | 34 | 47 |
| 8 | FC Cincinnati | 34 | 46 |
| 9 | Orlando City SC | 34 | 46 |
| 10 | New York City FC | 34 | 42 |
| 11 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 42 |
| 12 | Toronto FC | 34 | 39 |
| 13 | Atlanta United FC | 34 | 33 |
| 14 | D.C. United SC | 34 | 33 |
| 15 | Montreal Impact FC | 34 | 26 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 64 |
| 17 | FC Dallas | 34 | 58 |
| 18 | St. Louis City | 34 | 54 |
| 19 | San Jose Earthquakes | 34 | 52 |
| 20 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 51 |
| 21 | Los Angeles FC | 34 | 47 |
| 22 | Portland Timbers | 34 | 46 |
| 23 | Seattle Sounders FC | 34 | 46 |
| 24 | Real Salt Lake | 34 | 45 |
| 25 | Minnesota United FC | 34 | 44 |
| 26 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 34 | 44 |
| 27 | Colorado Rapids SC | 34 | 43 |
| 28 | San Diego FC | 34 | 38 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 34 | 34 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 34 | 26 |
Head-to-Head
Last 5 meetings
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08 Apr | Columbus Crew SC | H | 1–0 | W |
| 31 Mar | Portland Timbers | H | 2–2 | D |
| 17 Mar | Minnesota United FC | A | 1–2 | L |
| 10 Mar | Sporting Kansas City | H | 3–4 | L |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08 Apr | Chicago Fire FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 31 Mar | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | H | 1–2 | L |
| 24 Mar | D.C. United SC | H | 3–1 | W |
| 17 Mar | Philadelphia Union | A | 0–0 | D |
| 10 Mar | Montreal Impact FC | H | 3–2 | W |
| 03 Mar | Toronto FC | A | 2–0 | W |
Season Stats
| Chicago Fire FC | Columbus Crew SC | |
|---|---|---|
| #4 | Position | #7 |
| 55 | Points | 47 |
| 34 | Played | 34 |
| 16 / 7 / 11 | W / D / L | 14 / 5 / 15 |
| 64 | Scored | 59 |
| 54 | Conceded | 52 |
| +10 | GD | +7 |
| 1.62 | PPG | 1.38 |
| 47% | Win % | 41% |
Key Stats
50%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (20 games)
H2H (20 games)
55%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
24%
Clean Sheets
Chicago Fire FC this season
Chicago Fire FC this season
26%
Clean Sheets
Columbus Crew SC this season
Columbus Crew SC this season
Chicago Fire FC are 4th (55 pts). Columbus Crew SC are 7th (47 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Chicago Fire FC
0-15
9/4
16-30
9/10
31-45
6/9
46-60
10/9
61-75
10/4
76+
6/10
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Columbus Crew SC
0-15
4/8
16-30
12/7
31-45
7/7
46-60
10/2
61-75
7/5
76+
6/8
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Chicago Fire FC
| Maren Haile-Selassie | 13 G | 5 A |
| Hugo Cuypers | 12 G | |
| Hugo Cuypers | 11 G | |
| Robert Lewandowski | 9 G | 3 A |
| Philip Zinckernagel | 5 G | 4 A |
Columbus Crew SC
| Diego Rossi | 6 G | 1 A |
| Wessam Abou Ali | 5 G | 1 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' The stage is set the green flag drops! Another match against Chicago Fire FC and Columbus Crew SC has kicked off!
- 5' Chicago Fire FC are enjoying more possession but struggling to find a way through a disciplined Columbus Crew SC backline.
- 10' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 15' Both keepers have barely been tested. Chicago Fire FC and Columbus Crew SC are cancelling each other out in the centre of the park.
- 20' Supporters expect more eagerness from Artur, as he is very good at scoring at with 0 goals in the last 0 games.
- 25' The midfield battle is intense right now. Both Chicago Fire FC and Columbus Crew SC are fighting for every inch of the pitch.
- 30' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Chicago Fire FC side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 35' Columbus Crew SC come into this ranked in Array. They desperately need points to push themselves up the standings.
- 40' Columbus Crew SC are happy to let the opposition have the ball in their own half. The trap is set.
- 45' Players seem to put ease on their energy level Spectators hardly appreciate such approach. Teams need to speed up the tempo.
- 50' Harrison Afful is a natural and has been asked to do a very specific job for Columbus Crew SC tonight.
- 55' Both teams are passing the ball around with high level of urgency. Columbus Crew SC needs to do something about it to get closer to the goal.
- 60' It looks surprising Chicago Fire FC does not make any changes. Cristian Martinez has some obvious troubles when approaching to the goal.
- 65' Nemanja Nikolics, a Hungary , has 0 bookings this season and will need to keep his discipline tonight.
- 70' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 75' Although teams showed high tempo form the start, they seem to slow down a bit. Both sides really need to catch a fire. Otherwise, we have another goalless match.
- 80' It is a cagey affair so far. Chicago Fire FC in their trying to find a way past Columbus Crew SC's compact .
- 85' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Veljko Paunovic will be considering his options from the bench.
- 90' The referee has had an easy afternoon — neither side has been overly physical in the tackle.
- The referee brings this contest to a close. Chicago Fire FC take all three points.
Lineups
Chicago Fire FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 31
- 23
-
21
Alan Gordon ↓ Brandt Bronico 77'
- 18
- 3
- 45
- 6
- 4
-
5
Kevin Ellis ↓ Grant Lillard 64'
- 12
-
17
Diego Campos ↓ Elliot Collier 71'
Bench
- 27
- 22
- 10
-
13
Brandt Bronico ↑ 77'
- 32
-
15
Grant Lillard ↑ 64'
-
28
Elliot Collier ↑ 71'
Coach
Veljko Paunovic
Columbus Crew SC Lineups
Starting XI
-
18
Cristian Martinez ↓ Niko Hansen 57'
- 19
- 4
- 25
- 10
- 11
- 6
- 9
- 23
-
7
Artur ↓ Mohammed Abu 57'
-
3
Joshua Williams ↓ Adam Jahn 90'
Bench
- 17
- 16
- 24
-
28
Niko Hansen ↑ 57'
- 31
-
14
Adam Jahn ↑ 90'
-
8
Mohammed Abu ↑ 57'
Coach
Gregg Berhalter
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Gyasi Zardes | 8 |
| Diego Rossi | 3 |
| Derrick Etienne | 3 |
| Cucho Hernandez | 3 |
| Jacen Russell-Rowe | 3 |
| Juan Hernandez | 2 |
| Nemanja Nikolics | 2 |
| Nemanja Nikolics | 2 |
Head to Head
Chicago Fire FC Form
Columbus Crew SC Form
2018-04-08
Chicago Fire FC
1–0
Columbus Crew SC
L
2018-03-31
Columbus Crew SC
1–2
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
L
2018-03-24
Columbus Crew SC
3–1
D.C. United SC
W
2018-03-17
Philadelphia Union
0–0
Columbus Crew SC
D
2018-03-10
Columbus Crew SC
3–2
Montreal Impact FC
W
2018-03-03
Toronto FC
0–2
Columbus Crew SC
W
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
1 / 4
1.59
Chicago Fire FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.16
Columbus Crew SC xG
I would bet for:
Both teams to score 55%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Chicago Fire FC win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 2.75
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✗ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 92% |
|
8% |
| ± 1.5 | 76% |
|
24% |
| ± 2.5 | 51% |
|
49% |
| ± 3.5 | 30% |
|
70% |
| ± 4.5 | 15% |
|
85% |
Double Chance
Chicago Fire FC or Draw
74%
Draw or Columbus Crew SC
53%
Chicago Fire FC or Columbus Crew SC
73%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Chicago Fire FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
12.7%
1 – 0
Actual
2 – 1
9%
0 – 0
8.3%
2 – 0
7.9%
1 – 2
6.6%
0 – 1
6.4%
2 – 2
5.3%
3 – 1
4.8%
0 – 2
4.2%
3 – 0
4.1%
3 – 2
2.9%
Asian Handicap — Chicago Fire FC
| Handicap | Chicago Fire FC covers | Push | Columbus Crew SC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 10% | — | 90% |
| -2 | 10% | 14% | 76% |
| -1.5 | 24% | — | 76% |
| -1 | 24% | 22% | 54% |
| -0.5 | 46% | — | 54% |
| +0.5 | 74% | — | 26% |
| +1 | 74% | 15% | 11% |
| +1.5 | 89% | — | 11% |
| +2 | 89% | 7% | 3% |
| +2.5 | 97% | — | 3% |
Clean Sheet
Chicago Fire FC keeps clean sheet
32%
✗
Columbus Crew SC keeps clean sheet
21%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.