Our prediction for this MLS match:
Chicago Fire
Match Time & Date:
05/03/2023
02:30
Prediction: 1-1
New York City
Chicago Fire and New York City square off against each other at Soldier Field in what is expected to be a close MLS game. Chicago Fire want to kick off the new season in style, but this match will be anything but a walk in the park for the hosts. Both Fabian Herbers and Gaston Gimenez are sidelined with injuries, while a man to watch in the home team will be Switzerland ace Xherdan Shaqiri.
The Blue Pigeons, on the other hand, failed to impress in a 2-0 loss to Nashville in their opener, and we do not believe that they are capable of grabbing more than one point from Sunday’s encounter. Kevin O’Toole is pushing for a start, while Tayvon Gray is a major doubt, and he will be assessed ahead of the kick-off. You should know that under 2.5 goals have been netted in each of their last five meetings in Major League Soccer.
Highlighted Player (Xherdan Shaqiri):
Another impressive player who emigrated to Switzerland, Xherdan Shaqiri is a midfielder with excellent technical qualities, very strong in taking players on and creating chances for his teammates, while also being a danger from set pieces. The Serbian-born footballer formed an excellent midfielder pairing with Granit Xhaka at FC Basel, before making a high-profile move to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2012.
Shaqiri went on to prove a great deal of potential at Allianz Arena, scoring 11 goals in 52 Bundesliga matches, but he decided to leave in search of first team football, first joining Inter Milan and then moving to Stoke City. It was at Britannia Stadium that the attacking midfielder rediscovered his form and if he continues playing at such a high level, it won’t be long before he returns to the biggest stage.
Even when he was not playing regularly at club level, Shaqiri would always reserve his best performances for the national team, as witnessed by 17 goals in first 50 caps. The midfielder was especially impressive at the 2014 World Cup finals, where he scored no fewer than three goals.
Highlighted Team (New York City):
New York City are an American soccer club and they have been competing in Major League Soccer since 2015. The Pigeons play their home games at Yankee Stadium and they are the second club in New York after the New York Red Bulls.
Famous Arsenal player Patrick Vieira took over the reins in January, 2016 and he helped the team finish the season in second place in the Eastern Conference. However, they were totally outclassed by Toronto FC (0-7 on aggregate) in the conference semifinals.
New York City chiefs have been pumping up a lot of money into the squad ever since the team began play in MLS and it has to be noted that the likes of Andrea Pirlo and David Villa played for the Pigeons in the 2016 season. New York City footballers wear sky blue shirts when playing at home, while the colour of the team’s away kit is dark blue.
Companies City Football Group (80%) and Yankee Global Enterprises own the club.
Man City 
Everton
Bournemouth
Crystal Palace 
Chelsea 
Fulham
Newcastle 
Aston Villa 
Nottingham Forest 
Tottenham
Southampton 
West Ham 
