Colorado Rapids vs. Chicago Fire – Three Questions with Hot Time in Old Town

Here are the questions that I asked them about Chicago and their answers, provided by Ryan Sealock.

BW: Chicago are a tough team for me to parse. They looked good last season but couldn't seem to close the deal on a lot of games, resulting in that record for the most draws in MLS history. Where do you see the Fire ending up this season, will they turn all of those draws into wins or perhaps win just enough more to make the playoffs with the points they earn from tying?

HTiOT: I think most Fire fans, including myself, are very confident that the Fire will make the playoffs. In fact, I personally think we can be in the top 3 in the East by season's end. The talent is there, and the conference seems to also be there for the taking. In terms of all the draws last year, I think unquestionably a large reason for that was the huge roster turnover we had from 2010. A large majority of the roster from the 2010 season had departed heading into the 2011 season. That is never a recipe for a solid start to a new season.

That many new faces simply have to have time to gel and learn to play together. This coming together began to evidence itself in mid August, and the team went on a 7-2-1 tear to end the season. This 2012 team clearly has the talent and familiarity with each other to turn those draws into wins. We look to go deep into the playoffs this season.

BW: Tell me a young or perhaps under-utilized player from the Fire that we might not have heard of before that might play into the match and get our attention during the game.

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Again, head over to Hot Time in Old Town for some of the best Chicago Fire coverage on the web, and to see my answers to the questions that they gave me.