For a lot of reasons, Chicago Fire FC midfielder Fabian Herbers expects a very different match Thursday morning against the Vancouver Whitecaps (8 a.m. CT, ESPN) than the team faced in Sunday night’s 2-0 loss to San Jose at the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando.
For starters, San Jose chased the Fire all over the field with a man marking defense that gave Chicago players fits. Vancouver plays a more traditional defensive style. Then, there’s the fact that it’s another early kickoff, which have been notoriously sweltering.
“Now going back to early morning, probably expect a little bit lower intensity,” Herbers said.