Rivalry Renewed: Chicago Fire vs Columbus Crew MLS Week 18 Preview

These are the games we get up for. When everything is going bad in a season, regardless of sport, beating your rival will always make things a little better. The Cubs always want to beat the Cardinals, the Sox always want to beat the Twins, and the Fire always wants to beat the Crew. This is the team that Frank Klopas beat in 1998 to win the double, after all. And it couldn’t come at a more pivotal time.

The Fire are at a crossroads. July is the month where seasons are made and destroyed in MLS. If they’re not in the playoff picture, and by that, I mean more than 6 points out of a spot, by August First, they don’t have a shot at getting in, despite what the math says. Their time is now, and…