Coming off another exciting home win, there’s no time for the Five Stripes to celebrate with another midweek match coming up on Wednesday. Atlanta United (9-6-2) came out 2-0 winners over the Chicago Fire (4-7-7) in the reverse fixture at Mercedes-Benz Stadium just last month, but going on the road in MLS is always a tough proposition as they look for their eleventh win in fourteen matches.
Ahead of another important Eastern Conference clash, we broke down the Tools to the Match, presented by The Home Depot:
Contain Katai
The Chicago Fire made a big offseason splash with the signing of former Atlético Madrid midfielder Nico Gaitán, but their most consistent performer so far this season may be the other former LaLiga midfielder lining up next to him. Aleksandar Katai may not have the explosive speed of your typical winger, but he’s technical and crafty enough to beat his man and cut in from the left onto his dominant right foot. From there equally adept at scoring himself and setting up his teammates, with his four goals and four assists the highest combined tally on the team. The Fire has quality all over the field, but if the Five Stripes can keep Katai under wraps on the left wing, it can smother what has often been their creative spark over the past two seasons.
