Just when things seemed bleaker than ever, Atlanta United surprised with one its best performances of the season, beating surging FC Dallas, 1-0. The Five Stripes have an opportunity to turn that spark into a fire Sunday evening when it travels to Soldier Field to meet the Chicago Fire.
Like Atlanta, the Fire pulled out of a lengthy winless run with a midweek win. Chicago thrashed the Houston Dynamo 4-0, lifting itself off the floor of the Eastern Conference and into 12th. As you may suspect, though, this season has been a rocky one for the Fire.