The Chicago Fire are back on the road and have a new face joining the team on the trip.
The Fire play at D.C. United on Saturday. The match will be televised on CSN+ at 6 p.m. with coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. with Fire Pregame Live.
The new face joining the team is Armenian forward David Arshakyan. The Fire signed the 6-foot-4 Arshakyan from FK Trakai in the Lithuanian league on Aug. 3, but he didn’t get his visa and arrive in the country until Wednesday night. He was then shuttled to Toyota Park during the match against the LA Galaxy.
Arshakyan’s first training with the team was Thursday and he made the trip with the team to D.C. He could make his debut, but would likely have to do so off the bench. Arshakyan is also set to leave for international duty with the Armenian national team. He and David Accam of Ghana will leave for their national teams after the D.C. match.
Accam missed a chance to join Ghana in late March when he was injured and missed six MLS matches with that injury, but is excited to get another chance to represent his country.
“I’m really excited to be in the team again because I’ve worked really hard to come back into the team," Accam said. "We (Ghana) have a lot of good players and for me of course I’m doing something good here and that’s why the coach keeps calling me.”
Accam is actually battling an injury again. He is listed as questionable due to left quad injury. After Wednesday's match against LA, he was favoring his left leg a bit and had ice around his thigh. Accam said it was an issue he had before the game and he didn’t think it was a major injury. Arturo Alvarez is also listed as questionable (groin).
Chicago Fire
Beyond Arshakyan’s potential debut, Saturday is a big match in terms of keeping the Fire’s playoff hopes alive. D.C. United (6-8-11, 29 points) is currently in the sixth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Fire (5-11-7, 23 points) are six points back. A road win, which would be the Fire’s second straight, would bring the Men in Red within three points of D.C. with a game in hand.
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The Fire are undefeated in eight straight MLS home matches (3-0-5) and won the previous road match. The additions and integrations of Michael de Leeuw and Luis Solignac have boosted what had been a struggling attack and fewer injuries have helped create needed stability in the lineup.
“We finally feel like a team that can win (against) anyone in this league,” Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said. “We always believe, we always said that, but finally you can see it. You can see it coming and you can see that this team is growing.”
D.C. features a pair of notable former Fire players in Patrick Nyarko, who scored when D.C. drew the Fire 1-1 in April, and Kennedy Igboananike, who made his first start for D.C. on Wednesday. Igboananike is yet to score for D.C. in four appearances since being traded from the Fire. Defender Kofi Opare will be suspended after earning a red card late in the match against Montreal on Aug. 24.
Chicago Fire at D.C. United
When: Saturday 6 p.m. (coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. with Fire Pregame Live)
TV: CSN+ (channel finder)
Where: RFK Stadium