Shiny new signing Rafa Marquez is set to make his league debut in Chicago this Sunday, as New York vies to sweep their Midwestern rivals in the regular season.  The meeting comes at an interesting time for both clubs, as New York and Chicago have recently updated their rosters with big name signings. Metro’s Cerberus of Angel, Henry, and Marquez will be together for the first time, while Chicago will be trotting out new additions Freddie Ljungberg and Nery Castillo.

The Fire’s mediocre 5-5-5 record sees them sitting in 4th in the Eastern Conference.  They have struggled this season, and although they are coming off a solid 3-2 away win in Los Angeles, Chicago’s form has been erratic.  Brian McBride has been limited to 4 goals on the year, and the team hasn’t recovered from the loss of Chris Rolfe and Cuauhtemoc Blanco during the offseason.  Ljungberg and Castillo have been brought in to replace Rolfe and Blanco, and if they play up to their potential they will be great additions to Chicago’s squad.  Castillo is an especially intriguing prospect, as he is still young at 26 and has boatloads of talent at his disposal.  He also has a nasty attitude and a pretty serious unibrow, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can succeed in MLS.

New York is coming off a tough 2-2 draw at Houston, where a last minute Brian Mullan goal saw 3 points disappear for the visitors.  Thierry Henry made his debut in that game, and although he created two goals he missed some extremely easy chances.  Henry is an excellent player, and already demonstrated solid chemistry with partner (strike, not life) Juan Pablo Angel.  The two strikers will be even better with newcomer Rafa Marquez behind them.  Although Marquez is a defensive minded midfielder, his passing and distribution should open up the game and help spark Metro’s attack.

If you like temperamental Mexicans (and who doesn’t?) you will love this match.  Castillo and Marquez are both known for their attitudes, and although Marquez is a hardworking professional, his temper has flared on the pitch before (most notably in games against the US, where he has been sent off for Mexico twice).  With so many stars on the pitch, the match is guaranteed to be exciting and should be a banner game for a new MLS which embraces stars and has lured bigger and bigger names in recent years.

New York won its first meeting with Chicago 1-0 in the first match of the season.  Joel Lindpere broke in RBA’s net, scoring the first league goal in the stadiums opener.  Coach Hans Backe would be more than happy with another win against a talented but underperforming Chicago, who will likely be ignited by their two new players.  The match will be aired on ESPN2 at 9:00 pm, this Sunday.

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