| PREGAME SUMMARY: |
|---|
| 2019 MLS Preseason presented by Advocare |
| Columbus Crew SC vs. Chicago Fire |
| MUSC Health Stadium, Charleston, S.C. |
| Saturday, Feb. 16 — 5 PM ET |
| No stream or TV available |
The Carolina Challenge Cup will feature a longstanding midwestern rivalry, as Columbus Crew SC and the Chicago Fire will square off in South Carolina as part of Preseason presented by Advocare.
Columbus Crew SC
After a swing through California, Crew SC returned for a short time to Ohio, amid flurries and frigid temperatures. Their last result, a 4-2 win over LAFC last week, was a positive step in a work-in-progress, according to head coach Caleb Porter.
Chicago Fire
The Fire also had a short stint at home, but also embarked to a warmer clime for the Carolina Challenge Cup.
Midfielder Cristian Martinez, moving from Columbus to Chicago this offseason, admitted that the acclimation process as a young player from abroad was at times difficult.
“It was a lot of hard work and sacrifice,” he said to the Fire's website of his time in Columbus. “I arrived alone and had to adapt to a lot of things. Soccer is very different here and day by day I had to adapt to grow as a person and a player.”
“I have never been in this situation,” he said. “I’m anxious to do well against my previous team.”
