Chicago Fire FC vs Columbus Crew SC, 2018
Overview
Match Preview
Chicago Fire FC vs Columbus Crew SC — MLS .
- Chicago Fire FC 14 games · 26 pts (2026/26)
- Columbus Crew SC 15 games · 16 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Jair Marrufo
- Referee Peter Balciunas
- Referee Ian Anderson
- Referee Victor Rivas
4 games this season
🟨 0.5/game
⚽ 1.8 goals/game
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 14 | 33 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 15 | 31 |
| 3 | Chicago Fire FC | 14 | 26 |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 14 | 25 |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 15 | 22 |
| 6 | Charlotte FC | 15 | 21 |
| 7 | FC Cincinnati | 15 | 20 |
| 8 | New York City FC | 15 | 19 |
| 9 | D.C. United SC | 15 | 18 |
| 10 | Columbus Crew SC | 15 | 16 |
| 11 | Toronto FC | 14 | 14 |
| 12 | Montreal Impact FC | 14 | 14 |
| 13 | Orlando City SC | 15 | 14 |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 14 | 11 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Union | 15 | 7 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 14 | 32 |
| 17 | San Jose Earthquakes | 15 | 32 |
| 18 | Real Salt Lake | 14 | 26 |
| 19 | FC Dallas | 15 | 25 |
| 20 | Los Angeles FC | 15 | 24 |
| 21 | Seattle Sounders FC | 13 | 24 |
| 22 | Houston Dynamo | 14 | 22 |
| 23 | Minnesota United FC | 15 | 22 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 15 | 20 |
| 25 | San Diego FC | 15 | 17 |
| 26 | Colorado Rapids SC | 15 | 16 |
| 27 | St. Louis City | 14 | 16 |
| 28 | Portland Timbers | 14 | 14 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 15 | 14 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 14 | 11 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| #3 | Position | #10 |
| 26 | Points | 16 |
| 14 | Played | 15 |
| 8 / 2 / 4 | W / D / L | 4 / 4 / 7 |
| 27 | Scored | 21 |
| 16 | Conceded | 23 |
| +11 | GD | -2 |
| 1.86 | PPG | 1.07 |
| 57% | Win % | 27% |
Key Stats
47%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (19 games)
H2H (19 games)
53%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
50%
Clean Sheets
Chicago Fire FC this season
Chicago Fire FC this season
27%
Clean Sheets
Columbus Crew SC this season
Columbus Crew SC this season
Chicago Fire FC are 3rd (26 pts). Columbus Crew SC are 10th (16 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Chicago Fire FC
0-15
3/–
16-30
4/1
31-45
1/4
46-60
2/1
61-75
4/–
76+
2/3
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Columbus Crew SC
0-15
2/3
16-30
2/1
31-45
2/1
46-60
3/2
61-75
1/2
76+
1/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Events
Match Events
- 0' The game is set. Chicago Fire FC kicks off things out of here…
- 5' Nemanja Nikolics has been one of the livelier players on the pitch with 0 goals to his name this season.
- 10' Over 10 minutes have gone by without a meaningful attack. The supporters want more.
- 15' Chicago Fire FC are happy to let the opposition have the ball in their own half. The trap is set.
- 20' Players seem to put ease on their energy level Spectators hardly appreciate such approach. Teams need to speed up the tempo.
- 25' USA international Wil Trapp has been a key figure this campaign — 0 goals and 0 assists in the Array this season.
- 30' We are waiting for someone to take the initiative. Who will be the first to commit to attack?
- 35' Columbus Crew SC come into this ranked in Array. They desperately need points to push themselves up the standings.
- 40' named a earlier, and opted for a in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 45' It’s high time Veljko Paunovic made some changes to put the his team’s game back to action.
- 50' Columbus Crew SC fans have not had much to celebrate tonight. Their side is struggling to get forward.
- 55' It looks like no one’s ball. Columbus Crew SC is used to counterattacking playing. None of the sides are ready to take the lead.
- 60' Alan Gordon needs to be pretty careful with his discipline considering 0 Red cards this season.
- 65' Chicago Fire FC is defending very well tonight not leaving a chance for their rivals to get through for a goal.
- 70' Matchday of the Array and both teams know exactly what is at stake tonight.
- 75' Neither side is committing men forward. This has all the hallmarks of a tense, tactical contest.
- 80' The 34-year-old Gyasi Zardes has been sensational this season — 0 goals and 0 assists is a remarkable return.
- 85' Richard Sanchez has certainly something to prove this evening. He made 14 appearances with only 0 goals this season.
- 90' 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.
- It finishes all square. Chicago Fire FC and Columbus Crew SC share the spoils 1-0.
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 |
| Cucho Hernandez | 3 |
| Derrick Etienne | 3 |
| Jacen Russell-Rowe | 3 |
| Gyasi Zardes | 2 |
| Luka Stojanovic | 2 |
| Lucas Zelarayan | 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
3 / 4
1.6
Chicago Fire FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
0.81
Columbus Crew SC xG
I would bet for:
Under 2.5 goals 57%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Chicago Fire FC win
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 2.41
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 89% |
|
11% |
| ± 1.5 | 69% |
|
31% |
| ± 2.5 | 43% |
|
57% |
| ± 3.5 | 23% |
|
77% |
| ± 4.5 | 10% |
|
90% |
Double Chance
Chicago Fire FC or Draw
80%
Draw or Columbus Crew SC
47%
Chicago Fire FC or Columbus Crew SC
73%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Chicago Fire FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 0
Actual
1 – 1
12.4%
2 – 0
11.2%
0 – 0
11%
2 – 1
9%
0 – 1
6.2%
3 – 0
5.9%
3 – 1
4.9%
1 – 2
4.5%
2 – 2
3.7%
0 – 2
2.8%
4 – 0
2.4%
Asian Handicap — Chicago Fire FC
| Handicap | Chicago Fire FC covers | Push | Columbus Crew SC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 13% | — | 87% |
| -2 | 13% | 17% | 70% |
| -1.5 | 30% | — | 70% |
| -1 | 30% | 25% | 45% |
| -0.5 | 55% | — | 45% |
| +0.5 | 83% | — | 17% |
| +1 | 83% | 12% | 6% |
| +1.5 | 94% | — | 6% |
| +2 | 94% | 4% | 1% |
| +2.5 | 99% | — | 1% |
Clean Sheet
Chicago Fire FC keeps clean sheet
45%
✗
Columbus Crew SC keeps clean sheet
21%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.