Facts & Feats - Chicago Fire v IMFC

Montreal has met Chicago Fire 16 times in regular season play, since becoming an MLS club, and edges the series. Five games have ended all square, Montreal has won six, Chicago, five. Chicago however has scored one more goal than The Impact (23-22).

At Toyota Park, there’s been 7 meetings. Fire has won three, Montreal, one, while there have been three ties. Chicago leads the goals tally on this one 13-8.

Montreal’s sole victory at the venue was on 16 April 2016. Goals from Didier Drogba and an injury time winner by Nacho Piatti overcame a 1-0 lead given to Chicago by Kennedy Igboananike. This game was watched by the fewest number of spectators ever in the series, 14,509.

HIGHEST ATTENDANCE -

The highest attendance for any game between the two clubs was 58,912, recorded at Stade Olympique on St Patrick’s Day 2012. It was Montreal’s first-ever home game in MLS and ended 1-1. Davy Arnaud put the home side in front, only to be pegged back through Dominic Oduro’s equalizer for Chicago.

The biggest crowd to watch a game between the sides at Toyota Park was 18,173 on 28 September 2013. Marco Di Vaio struck first for Montreal, but two Mike Magee goals put Chicago in command, until an 87^thminute strike from Maxim Tissot claimed a share of the spoils (2-2).

Magee’s brace is still the only occasion in which a Chicago Fire player has scored more than once in a game v Impact.

Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

WINNING STREAKS –

The longest winning streak between the clubs is 3, by Montreal. Chicago has never had successive victories over Montreal. Should they win on Wednesday night however, that will change. It would be Chicago’s second successive win over the Impact, having prevailed in the last 2017 meeting of the sides, through Bastien Schweinsteiger’s goal.

Between August 2013 and April 2014, Fire did manage a three-game unbeaten streak against Montreal, although two of those games ended in ties.

GOALS & ASSISTS -

Didier Drogba is the top-scorer in the series with 5. Kennedy Igboananike (now plying his trade with Orebro in Sweden’s top division) is the top-scorer for Chicago with 3. Amongst current players in each squad, a couple of notables lead the way. Nacho Piatti has 3 goals for Montreal, Bastien Schweinsteiger 2, for Chicago.

Ivorian, Drogba is the only player to score a hat-trick in the series, in a come from behind victory for Montreal at Stade Saputo in September 2015. It was the highest scoring game between the clubs (4-3), and all the more remarkable in that the last 25 mins of the evening were played out scoreless.

Ignacio Piatti is the only other Impact player to have scored more than once in a game against Chicago Fire (Aug 2017, 3-0).

Assists are fairly well spread out, with no-one managing more than two. In fact, no fewer than 7 players are on that mark, four from Montreal (Dominic Oduro, Patrice Bernier, Nigel Reo-Coker and Sanna Nyassi), three from Chicago (Arturo Alvarez, David Accam and Kennedy Igboananike).

The earliest goals recorded in the series were both in the 6^thmin. Joel Lindpere put Chicago on the way to a 2-1 success at Toyota Park in 2013, and Nacho Piatti mirrored the feat scoring the first on the way to a 3-0 victory for Montreal at Stade Saputo, last season.

The latest goal recorded in the series was scored by Chicago forward Luis Solignac. Montreal must’ve thought they were home and dry with what would’ve been their second win at Toyota Park in April 2017, when the Argentinian struck to equalize (90+3).

The most frequently occurring score-line between the sides at Toyota Park is 2-2. It’s happened twice and might be a good call again for Wednesday night.

3-0 is the largest margin of victory between the teams. Chicago had managed it twice, before Montreal equaled the feat in 2017 at Stade Saputo.

Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

WHO’S TURNED UP MOST? -

The honor goes to Hassoun Camara with 10 starts and 2 sub appearances. Patrice Bernier also has 12, but only 7 starts. For Chicago, the most-appearing players are goalkeeper, Sean Johnson (9), now of course with NYCFC, and defender, Jeff Larentowicz (9), now with Atlanta United.

Of current IMFC players, Evan Bush has most experience facing Chicago (10). For Chicago, it’s defender Jonathan Campbell (5), who’s started only 1 match this season and may not add to his series total, Wednesday night.

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PLAYED FOR BOTH CLUBS -

Four players have played for each club against the other: Dominic Oduro, Dilly Duka, Bakary Soumare and Harry Shipp. All began with Chicago before transferring to Montreal. No player to date has faced Montreal, having moved in the opposite direction.

COACH’S CORNER -

Percentage-wise, Mauro Biello (4-2-1) has been the most successful coach in the series. Frank Klopas of course coached both sides for a combined record of 3-2-4 (2-1-2 with IMFC).

The series has seen the participation no fewer than 8 coaches. Of those 8, only two did not record victories: Jesse Marsch of Montreal (0-1-1) and Brian Bliss of Chicago (0-1-0).

The other “Fire” coaches Montreal has faced are Frank Yallop (1-2-2) and current incumbent, Veljko Paunovic (2-2-1).

Remi Garde is the ninth different coach to enter the series.

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

LAST LINE OF DEFENCE -

Evan Bush leads the series in shut-outs with 3 (10 matches). For Chicago, Sean Johnson leads with 2 shut-outs (9 matches).

Incidentally, Evan Bush is the only player to start each of the last 10 matches in the series.

DISCIPLINARY –

Six players have seen red, four from Montreal; Marco Donadel, Laurent Ciman, Victor Cabrera and Deian Boldor, and two from Chicago; Jeff Larentowicz and Juninho.

Four players have collected 3 yellow cards each, the highest tally in the series. Laurent Ciman, Marco Donadel and Victor Cabrera of Montreal, and Juninho of Chicago.

SUBS -

Patrice Bernier has emerged more times than anyone else from the bench in the series - 5. Of the current Montreal squad, it’s Kyle Fisher on 2.

For Chicago, the most often appearing sub is Quincy Amarikwa, now of San Jose Earthquakes.

BORED? -

Three Montreal players have sat unused on the bench no fewer than 5 times each v Chicago: Evan Bush, Eric Kronberg and Anthony Jackson-Hamel.

For Chicago (v Montreal), the record is 4 times, by the wonderfully named, Hunter Jumper.