Ridge Mahoney of Soccer America previews the MLS matchup between the Kansas City Wizards and the Chicago Fire, which will be the debut of technical director Peter Vermes as the interm head coach.
KANSAS CITY (5-7-6) vs. CHICAGO (8-4-8), 3 p.m., TeleFutura
Interim head coach Peter Vermes takes charge of a game for the first time since the sacking of Curt Onalfo. Davy Arnaud and Claudio Lopez are suspended and Kansas City has scored just one goal in its last four games, so open auditions are being held to determine if recently signed Hungarian forward Zoltan Hercegfalvi and rookie Graham Zusi deserve a starting spot more than veterans Abe Thompson and Adam Cristman. Arnaud and Lopez have each scored five goals: the rest of the team, which means just three players, have netted a combined total of nine.
Chicago lost a tough game last week in Houston, falling 3-2 on a penalty kick after scoring twice in three minutes to wipe out a 2-0 deficit. They won three road games in a row back in May and this looks like a prime spot to get another one, but with Brian McBride, Gonzalo Segares and Tim Ward out, and Wilman Conde and John Thorrington questionable, and Cuauhtemoc Blanco recovering from 56 minutes in Azteca Wednesday, the home team simply cannot afford to lose.
Prediction: Wizards 2, Fire 1.
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