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 Armando Villarreal
- Referee Fotis Bazakos
- Referee Robert Sibiga
- Referee Adam Garner
- Referee Thomas Zablocki
20 games this season
🟨 2.8/game
⚽ 11.0 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
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug | Columbus Crew SC | H | 1–1 | D |
| 18 Aug | Montreal Impact FC | A | 1–2 | L |
| 12 Aug | New York Red Bulls | H | 0–1 | L |
| 05 Aug | Real Salt Lake | A | 1–2 | L |
| 28 Jul | Toronto FC | A | 0–3 | L |
| 21 Jul | Toronto FC | H | 1–2 | L |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Aug | Chicago Fire FC | A | 1–1 | D |
| 19 Aug | Atlanta United FC | A | 1–3 | L |
| 11 Aug | Houston Dynamo | H | 1–0 | W |
| 28 Jul | New York Red Bulls | A | 3–2 | W |
| 21 Jul | Orlando City SC | H | 3–2 | W |
| 14 Jul | New York City FC | A | 0–2 | L |
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' Columbus Crew SC is defending very well tonight not leaving a chance for their rivals to get through for a goal.
- 10' The home supporters are growing impatient. Chicago Fire FC must find a spark to ignite this game.
- 15' Supporters expect more eagerness from Pedro Santos, as he is very good at scoring at with 0 goals in the last 0 games.
- 20' Chicago Fire FC currently sit in the Array table. A result here could be decisive in the race for the top positions.
- 25' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Federico Higuain made 303 appearances and scored 19 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 30' Spectators are craving for more action. Both teams play very cautiously. They need to put some more energy.
- 35' It looks like no one’s ball. Chicago Fire FC is used to counterattacking playing. None of the sides are ready to take the lead.
- 40' The teams are not in a rush to score plenty of goals. It might look strange considering Chicago Fire FC that had 295 games and scored 427 goals.
- 45' We are waiting for someone to take the initiative. Who will be the first to commit to attack?
- 50' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Veljko Paunovic will be considering his options from the bench.
- 55' The referee has had an easy afternoon — neither side has been overly physical in the tackle.
- 60' It is a cagey affair so far. Chicago Fire FC in their trying to find a way past Columbus Crew SC's compact .
- 65' named a earlier, and opted for a in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 70' Spectators do not have much to choose from both teams. The sides had several scoring chances but they still need a bit more than just a sight of a goal.
- 75' Columbus Crew SC fans have not had much to celebrate tonight. Their side is struggling to get forward.
- 80' USA international Dax McCarty has been a key figure this campaign — 0 goals and 0 assists in the Array this season.
- 85' The clock is ticking and both teams know a goal could change everything at this point.
- 90' Chicago Fire FC are keeping things exceptionally tight at the back. It will take something special to break them down.
- The final score is 1-1.
Lineups
Chicago Fire FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 22
- 31
- 23
- 7
- 30
- 3
- 13
- 6
- 4
- 8
- 14
Bench
-
10
Aleksandar Katai ↑ 60'
-
21
Alan Gordon ↑ 90'
- 18
- 45
- 26
- 20
Coach
Veljko Paunovic
Columbus Crew SC Lineups
Starting XI
- 19
- 25
- 11
- 6
- 7
- 23
- 8
-
2
Ricardo Clark ↓ Niko Hansen 57'
-
9
Justin Meram ↓ Federico Higuain 57'
- 3
-
22
Gaston Sauro ↓ Patrick Mullins 81'
Bench
- 4
-
10
Federico Higuain ↑ 57'
- 16
-
32
Patrick Mullins ↑ 81'
- 24
-
28
Niko Hansen ↑ 57'
- 13
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 |
| Djordje Mihailovic | 2 |
| Juan Hernandez | 2 |
| Nemanja Nikolics | 2 |
Head to Head
Chicago Fire FC Form
Columbus Crew SC Form
2018-08-23
Chicago Fire FC
1–1
Columbus Crew SC
D
2018-08-19
Atlanta United FC
3–1
Columbus Crew SC
L
2018-08-11
Columbus Crew SC
1–0
Houston Dynamo
W
2018-07-28
New York Red Bulls
2–3
Columbus Crew SC
W
2018-07-21
Columbus Crew SC
3–2
Orlando City SC
W
2018-07-14
New York City FC
2–0
Columbus Crew SC
L
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
2 / 4
1.57
Chicago Fire FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.48
Columbus Crew SC xG
I would bet for:
Chicago Fire FC or Columbus Crew SC 73% + Both teams to score 61%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 3.05
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✗ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 94% |
|
6% |
| ± 1.5 | 81% |
|
19% |
| ± 2.5 | 58% |
|
42% |
| ± 3.5 | 36% |
|
64% |
| ± 4.5 | 20% |
|
80% |
Double Chance
Chicago Fire FC or Draw
65%
Draw or Columbus Crew SC
62%
Chicago Fire FC or Columbus Crew SC
73%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
Actual
2 – 1
8.3%
1 – 2
7.8%
1 – 0
6.6%
0 – 0
6.4%
0 – 1
6.2%
2 – 2
6.1%
2 – 0
5.8%
0 – 2
5.1%
3 – 1
4.4%
1 – 3
3.9%
3 – 2
3.3%
Asian Handicap — Chicago Fire FC
| Handicap | Chicago Fire FC covers | Push | Columbus Crew SC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 8% | — | 92% |
| -2 | 8% | 12% | 80% |
| -1.5 | 20% | — | 80% |
| -1 | 20% | 19% | 61% |
| -0.5 | 39% | — | 61% |
| +0.5 | 65% | — | 35% |
| +1 | 65% | 18% | 17% |
| +1.5 | 83% | — | 17% |
| +2 | 83% | 10% | 6% |
| +2.5 | 94% | — | 6% |
Clean Sheet
Chicago Fire FC keeps clean sheet
24%
✓
Columbus Crew SC keeps clean sheet
22%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.