"Chicago won't be easy."
That's what Head Coach Jesse Marsch had to say following his team's Decision Day victory and finding out that they would face the Fire in the Knockout Round of the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs.
"Chicago’s excited to be back in the playoffs and to have a home game, so they’re going to throw everything at us," Marsch said on Sunday night.
He followed that up with more details following Monday's training at the Red Bulls Training Facility.
"It’s never an easy place to play, Chicago. But we’ve had some good memories there. And we’ll make sure we’re ready to go. We’ll have fresh legs on the field and we’ll go after the game," Marsch said. "We won’t be expecting anything but Chicago’s best."
The status of superstar Bastian Schweinsteiger (right thigh injury) is up in the air as to if he will play on Wednesday night, but the Fire still present many challenges with or without their German midfielder.
"Whenever we play Chicago, we always have to account for David Accam," Marsch said. "We want to make sure to keep track of him. That will be an important matchup on the day."
Marsch also noted that Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolic is always a threat to score and Dax McCarty will bring some added emotional flavor to the matchup.
- IN FOCUS: New York Red Bulls Training
Whoever takes the pitch for Chicago, Marsch said his team is "excited for a big challenge" and in a good place mentally to tackle the playoffs head-on.
"We’re in the best moment we’ve been all year. Truly," the head coach said. "I feel like our mentality is strong. I feel like we’ve gotten contribution from a lot of players. I feel like our group is really ready for a big challenge. That’s what this is going to be: a massive challenge. A big hurdle. And if you can get through that first hurdle, you can build more momentum and give yourself a chance.
"We’ll be ready."
