Frank Klopas and the Chicago Fire may not have to worry about demotion from MLS, but he wants them to adopt a "relegation battle" mentality ahead of Saturday's visit to D.C. United.
The Fire sit 14th in the Eastern Conference standings after losing four straight games, with three of those defeats coming at home including last week's 3-1 reverse against the Columbus Crew.
Their current losing run is their fifth streak or four or more regular-season defeats since the start of 2021, though they have not lost five in a row in league play since 2018.
"The thing is trying to simplify things in practice, I think that's the most important thing with teams going through a difficult moment," Klopas said.
"The mental state of the team is obviously down. I think that's expected when you don't get results, when performances are not going your way.
"Even though there's no relegation battle in this league, we have to approach every game right now like it's a relegation fight until we can get out of this situation we're in."
D.C. are also looking to respond after back-to-back losses to the New York Red Bulls (1-4) and Inter Miami (0-1), with those results leaving them ninth in the East.
Troy Lesesne's team have won praise for their counter-pressing approach this year, but he says they still have plenty of room for improvement when playing on the break.
"No matter who the opponent is, we want to be difficult to play against and to break down, but we're also doing that so we can create," Lesesne said.
"We're top in the league for expected goals on the counterattack, but we have to finalise those situations.
"We're going to keep working on that, keep gaining those moments and keep improving."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
D.C. United – Christian Benteke
Benteke has scored 11 of D.C.'s 20 goals this season, with no other team-mate netting more than once in MLS play.
D.C. United are one of two MLS teams (also the Houston Dynamo) to only have one player with multiple goals this season.
Chicago Fire – Carlos Teran
Teran scored the Fire's only goal against the Crew last week and has now netted once for them in each of the last four seasons, making him the only player to score in each of the last four campaigns for Chicago.
The Colombian defender is hardly a goal machine, but Chicago will hope he can have an impact at both ends here.
MATCH PREDICTION – D.C. UNITED WIN
Chicago's tally of 10 points through 14 matches in 2024 is their worst total at this stage of a season in club history.
Things may not get any better for them on Saturday against a team known for employing an energetic approach.
D.C. United recorded a 4-0 home win over Chicago in the teams' last meeting last September, and they are looking to post back-to-back victories over the Fire for the first time since a four-game winning run against them between 2014 and 2016.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
D.C. United – 47.7%
Chicago Fire – 26.6%
Draw – 25.7%
Pavlovic signs two-year contract extension with Bayern
Aleksandar Pavlovic has signed a contract extension which will keep him at Bayern Munich until 2029.
Pavlovic's current contract was due to run out in 2027, but the club have chosen to trigger a two-year extension.
The 20-year-old enjoyed an impressive breakout campaign in 2023-24, in which he made 22 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and providing two assists.
Pavlovic joined Bayern as a seven-year-old and was handed his debut for the first team in November last year when he came off the bench to assist Harry Kane in a 4-0 victory.
His club form earned him a call-up to Germany's squad for Euro 2024, but he was forced to withdraw after coming down with tonsillitis days before the opener against Scotland.
"Unfortunately, this tonsillitis has denied me my dream of playing in the European Championship on home turf, which is very disappointing – but I'm thrilled that my contract with FC Bayern has been extended until 2029," Pavlovic said.
"It shows the club has trust in me, which I'm eager to repay. FC Bayern is my home. I'm proud, happy and grateful, want to win trophies with the team and continue my personal development."
Pavlovic made 19 appearances in the Bundesliga this season, winning 15 of those, with the team scoring 54 goals in the process.
In the 15 games that the midfielder missed in the league, Bayern won just eight times, conceding 14 more goals.
'I would never abandon Brazil' – Ronaldinho backtracks on Copa America comments
Ronaldinho has declared he will never "abandon" Brazil, rowing back on his previous claim that he will not support the Selecao at the upcoming Copa America.
Brazil are gearing up for a tilt at a 10th South American title, with Colombia, Paraguay and Costa Rica awaiting Dorival Junior's team in Group D.
Just 10 days prior to their opening game against Costa Rica in Los Angeles, Selecao great Ronaldinho said he has "had enough" with the team and would not watch any of their matches at the tournament.
The 2002 World Cup winner said the current Brazil squad displayed a "lack of love for the shirt and lack of grit", adding: "I've never seen a situation as bad as this."
However, Ronaldinho has now suggested those comments were simply reflecting the stance of many fans and were not his own feelings.
In a video posted to his Instagram account, he said: "I would never abandon Brazilian football, ever. I'd never say those things you see…
"Actually, these words came from real Brazilian fans, they are real comments that I saw on the internet.
"Imagine listening to these messages before you play? Motivation goes down... fan support makes a huge difference to the players. I know what I'm talking about.
"What our boys need is support at this time. The more confidence we show, the more confidence they will have on the field."
Philadelphia Union 1-2 Inter Miami: Afonso hits last-gasp winner for nine-man Herons
Leo Afonso scored an incredible 94th-minute winner as Inter Miami fought back to beat the Philadelphia Union 2-1 in MLS on Saturday despite being reduced to nine men.
Miami's grasp on top spot in the Eastern Conference looked like being weakened when Gerardo Martino's team – who were without both Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez as Argentina and Uruguay continue their Copa America preparations – fell behind after three minutes.
Mikael Uhre's one-on-one finish put the Union ahead, but Miami levelled just after half-time as Julian Gressel fired into the top-right corner from the centre of the box.
The Herons, though, found themselves up against it when both David Ruiz and Tomas Aviles were sent off, the former for a horror challenge on Leon Flach and the latter earning a soft second booking for kicking the ball away.
With the Union throwing men forward in search of a winner, they were struck with a sucker punch.
Afonso raced away on the counterattack, ignoring Benjamin Cremaschi to his right before slotting his finish past Oliver Semmle to hand Miami an eighth win in their last 11 games (two draws, one defeat).
Data Debrief: No Messi, no problem
Ahead of Saturday's game, Miami had only won three of their 14 matches without Messi since the Barcelona great arrived in MLS (five draws, six defeats).
However, even without Messi, Suarez or a full complement, Miami showed they are the team to beat in MLS this year.
Martino's team ended the game having enjoyed more possession (57.4 per cent), shots on target (four to three) and touches in the box (17 to 16) than Philadelphia, despite playing almost 40 minutes at least one player down.
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