After an exciting 2-2 draw on the road against Toronto FC, the Chicago Fire are coming home, looking to keep building momentum.
They'll face another Canadian team, as the Vancouver Whitecaps come to town Friday (8:30 pm ET | TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US).
"Everyone is excited, it's good to come back home to play in front of our crowd," Chicago coach Veljko Paunovic said after training Wednesday. "We believe the team is doing well this week in training. We feel very excited to face a good opponent, we know in this league there are no easy games and we have to be at our best."
The Whitecaps have yet to pick up their first win of the season, but have looked strong in their last two games despite only gaining one point. The Fire will have to be at their best to earn a victory.
Goalkeeper David Ousted knows that well. He has enjoyed a strong start to his time with the Fire after spending five season as the starting keeper in Vancouver.
"It's always fun to see old friends," Ousted said. "The most important thing for me is three points for us. I'm looking forward to playing them, but it's all business on Friday."
Ousted's season highlight so far is a potential Save of the Year candidate Week 1 against the LA Galaxy. He blocked a point-blank header from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which earned a wry smile and high-five from the Galaxy star.
He nearly outdid himself last week, with another close-range stop to deny Jozy Altidore, who was quick to give kudos to Ousted.
"Good saves, but getting the recognition is always fun," Ousted admitted. "Those guys had a smile on them and dapped me up. It's nice to get that appreciation, it's fun in the moment."
