The home opener is special every year. Just kind of like setting a tone at home, what the fans can expect of us this year. It's a very important game for us. You can probably say even more, now that we didn't get the result we wanted in the first game, I think it's very important that we step on the pitch looking for three points at home and also offering something good for the fans.
Mbekezeli Mbokazi is considered to be the standout prospect in South African football for a generation and the nation's best chance of seeing a star at elite level in the next few years. Having made his international debut as a teenager, he was a leader for Orlando Pirates at the peak of the South African Premiership, becoming the second-youngest captain ever for the Buccaneers.
Starting with the hosts, while Chicago might have signed off their regular-season adventure with consecutive 2-2 stalemates against New England and Toronto, Gregg Berhalter's men have rightfully received a string of plaudits from across America's elite this year. Getting October underway with a stellar 5-3 victory away at Inter Miami, the Fire have suffered just a pair of defeats from any of their previous 13 consecutive MLS appearances - a run that stems all the way back to July 17th.
Playing in the right half-space of Gregg Berhalter's attacking setup, the first-year MLS man is the straw that stirs the Fire's drink. Zinckernagel thrives on the dribble, ranking in the 89th percentile in FBref's data for successful take-ons among his positional peers, and could be the perfect piece to glide through Orlando City's defensive block and break into the box.
The game between the two playoff-chasing sides leapt into life as Chicago scored two in quick succession inside the opening 10 minutes, as Jonathan Bamba opened the scoring for the hosts, before Philip Zinckernagel doubled the lead. After the interval, Chicago netted their third, as Hugo Cuypers found the bottom left-hand corner to make it 3-0 in the 68th minute.
Chicago Fire have shown resilience with a crucial 1-0 victory against New York Red Bulls and will aim to continue this momentum against Los Angeles FC despite a poor historical record against them.
