Frank Klopas has no intentions of ever giving up on Chicago Fire's MLS playoff hopes ahead of their road trip to struggling San Jose Earthquakes.
The Fire fought back from two goals down to snatch a 4-3 thriller against Philadelphia Union last time out, climbing up to 13th in the Eastern Conference.
That win was the second time the Fire triumphed despite trailing by two goals in the last 10 minutes this season (also against CF Montreal in March), as they became the first team to achieve this multiple times in MLS history.
Chicago head coach Klopas lauded his side's battling but urged the Fire to improve and group together when they head to PayPal Park.
"It's great when it goes your way, but I'm not sure if we can keep doing this," Klopas said. "We had some really good chances to put the game away but we didn't do that.
"Everything is one game at a time, at some points it looked bleak. Never give up on this team, the character is strong and I believe in this group.
"It's all about the team, we have to reach our goals as a group, not as individuals."
San Jose are bottom of the Western Conference and unlikely to escape that position if their season is anything to go by.
The Earthquakes were defeated 2-0 by fellow strugglers St. Louis City in their last outing and are the second team in the post-shootout era (since 2000) with 16 losses in their first 21 matches of a season (Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
San Jose Earthquakes – Amahl Pellegrino
San Jose have had little to celebrate throughout a challenging season, and their hopes may rely on Amahi Pellegrino once again.
The Earthquakes man leads the club scoring charts this season, albeit with only five goals in MLS in 2024.
Chicago Fire – Maren Haile-Selassie
Maren Haile-Selassie has scored in four straight regular-season matches, the second Fire player to do so this year (Hugo Cuypers).
The only players with a longer streak in club history are Robert Beric (five straight in 2020) and David Accam (also five straight in 2017).
MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW
The Earthquakes may be on torrid form in MLS this year but their strong head-to-head record in this fixture suggests the draw as the most likely result.
San Jose have won three straight matches against the Fire, equalling the longest winning streak by either team in the history of the series (all competitions).
Chicago's last win over the Earthquakes was a 2-1 home victory in June 2018, though the Fire may be quietly confident due to San Jose's struggles.
The Earthquakes have lost six consecutive matches for the fourth time in club history and the third since the start of the 2018 season.
San Jose have never lost seven league games in a row, however.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
San Jose Earthquakes win – 36.3%
Draw – 26.2%
Chicago Fire win – 37.6%
Michel proud Girona's Champions League bow despite late defeat
Michel has urged his team to be proud of their Champions League debut, despite a heartbreaking late defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The visitors neutralised PSG's attack for much of the game, only for Paulo Gazzaniga, who had made a number of good saves, to let Nuno Mendes' tame delivery slip through his hands and into the back of the net.
The goalkeeper's own goal was the first in the 90th minute of a Champions League game since November 2022 (Porto's Ivan Marcano vs Atletico Madrid), while it was the first-ever such goal that proved to be the winner.
Despite the defeat, the Girona head coach praised his team's effort and the performance of his goalkeeper up until the goal.
"Now in the dressing room, people are a little bit down," Michel told reporters. "I told them that we have to be proud of the game we played.
"PSG subdued us, Gazzaniga made some good saves. There were two or three that could have been goals.
"We have to recognise that their victory is deserved but we are proud of the way we work.
"Let's see if we get another chance to come to Paris next year."
The Spaniard admitted his players were nervous in their first taste of Europe's elite club competition, but he was satisfied with their game as they faced a top-level team.
"At the start of the game, we were very nervous, you could see that. But as the first half went on, we found personality, commitment, attitude," he added.
"In the second half, we were tired. PSG pressed us more, we were continually defending a lot. We passed our first experience in the Champions League.
"We competed against a great team where the pressure can stiffen you and the team gave a good performance."
Girona face Feyenoord in their second league-phase fixture.
'Worse than giving birth' - Luis Enrique notes tough nature of PSG win
Luis Enrique compared Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League opener to childbirth as he admitted he did not enjoy watching their tense late win over Girona.
PSG secured victory after Girona's goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who had thwarted numerous efforts from the French champions, made a calamitous error in the final minutes.
Nuno Mendes' tame, low delivery into the box slipped through the goalkeeper's grasp and into the back of the net, snatching PSG all three points in a 1-0 win on Wednesday.
Though winning in fortuitous circumstances, PSG have now only lost one of their 37 home games in the group stage of the Champions League (W29 D7) since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, and Luis Enrique acknowledged the tough nature of this victory.
"I think we were superior, but Girona played us in circles and made us dizzy," Luis Enrique told Movistar Plus.
"At half-time, we said that if we didn't press, we were going to suffer. We had to win, and it was very difficult.
"It was very difficult. I told [Girona manager] Michel that this was worse than giving birth, with all due respect."
Under the new Champions League format, teams play eight matches against eight different opponents, with the top eight sides in the 36-team league automatically advancing to the last 16, and the next 16 playing a further knockout round.
Luis Enrique observed that the format creates uncertainty about the significance of results.
"Winning a match or any title is difficult, but we don't know the dimensions of this competition with this format," he added.
"We are going to have to play matches against teams that have easier schedules than ours. How many points are we going to need? There are many unknowns that need to be cleared up."
Despite the victory, PSG suffered a setback as striker Marco Asensio limped off just before half-time. However, Luis Enrique was confident in the strength of his squad.
"He felt a twinge. Marco had started the season well. This is professional football, and we have a very good squad."
PSG will next play Reims away in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Atlanta United 2-2 Inter Miami: Miranchuk stunner ends visitors' winning run
Aleksei Miranchuk's stunning late goal salvaged a 2-2 draw for Atlanta United, ending Inter Miami's winning streak.
The visitors brought Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez off the bench in the second half but were unable to make it six wins on the bounce.
Miami had the better of the first half, with Julian Gressel forcing Brad Guzan into an acrobatic save before David Ruiz snuck in behind the hosts' defence to slot a lovely low shot into the bottom-right corner.
In the 56th minute, Saba Lobjanidze met Pedro Amador's whipped cross with a thumping header, nodding it through Drake Callender's legs, and the keeper arguably should have done better.
But just three minutes later, Miami were back in front – Leonardo Campana's free-kick from just outside the box took a huge deflection off the wall, giving the keeper no chance.
Messi led the search for a late third, with his low shot palmed away by Guzan straight into Suarez's path, but Amador was perfectly placed on the line to block it.
Atlanta then went straight up the other end, with Miranchuk floating a wonderful shot into the top-left corner after cutting inside from the right before Lobjanidze's late effort deflected off Ian Fray onto the post.
Miami are now eight points clear at the top of the Eastern Conference, while Atlanta sit in 11th.
Data Debrief: Campana makes Miami history
Campana may have got a bit of luck with his goal due to a wicked deflection, but he will not care one bit, as that strike was his 30th goal for Miami.
He now becomes the outright all-time leading scorer for the club, overtaking Gonzalo Higuain, though Messi is just three behind him.
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