The 28th season of Chicago Fire FC soccer gets underway Saturday night, when the Men in Red travel to Ohio to face longtime rival Columbus Crew. Kickoff in the Buckeye State is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, and transmitted locally in English on WLS 890 AM and in Spanish on Que Buena 105.1 FM via the Uforia App.
Head Coach and Director of Football Gregg Berhalter will make his debut with the Men in Red against his former club, which he helped take to the MLS Cup Playoffs and the 2015 MLS Cup Final. He will hope to replicate that success Saturday with his first starting XI of 2025:
- Goalkeeper Chris Brady will make the 64th MLS regular season start of his career in goal on Saturday, as well as his second consecutive opening day start for Chicago. The Homegrown ‘keeper was a familiar sight in goal in 2024, playing and starting in 33 of the team’s 34 regular season matches.
- Longtime defensive stalwart Jack Elliott will make his debut with the Fire on Saturday night. The former Philadelphia Union defender leads all active Fire players with 1,530 minutes against the Crew, having faced them 17 times in his career. He will be paired with Carlos Terán at center back, who will make his 80th appearance for Chicago at just 24 years of age.
- Andrew Gutman will start at left back for the Men in Red in his second consecutive start in a season opener for the Fire, having made his debut for Chicago in the season-opening 2-2 draw at Philadelphia Union on Feb. 24, 2024. Across the field from the Hinsdale, Ill. native will be Jonathan Dean, making his 26th start in his third year with Chicago.
- Making his first start for Chicago Fire FC is Homegrown midfielder Sergio Oregel, Jr. The Chicago midfielder impressed in preseason playing in a deeper role in the center of the pitch, earning him a start in only the second MLS regular season appearance of his career after playing 11 minutes in a 1-1 draw against New England Revolution on Oct. 9, 2022.
- Alongside Oregel is midfielder Kellyn Acosta, who will wear the captain’s armband Saturday night. Acosta appeared in all 34 regular season matches in 2024, and will hope to begin a new “iron man” streak of his own against Columbus.
- Fresh off a call-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team’s January camp, Brian Gutiérrez will make the 81st start of his career for Chicago. With his 121st appearance with the Club on Saturday, the Homegrown midfielder will be three appearances short of the most matches played by a Homegrown player in Fire history, a title currently held by teammate Mauricio Pineda.
- Hugo Cuypers returns to the Starting XI at center forward, a familiar place for him after starting and playing there 31 times in his inaugural Fire season last year. The Belgian Designated Player tallied 10 goals last season, the first time a Fire player scored double digit goals since Robert Berić did in 2020.
- Two newcomers from the old continent – Jonathan Bamba and Philip Zinckernagel – will support Cuypers on the wings, making their MLS and Fire debuts Saturday night.
- Defenders Leonardo Barroso (Lower Body) and Chase Gasper (Lower Body); and midfielders Dylan Borso (Lower Body), Maren Haile-Selassie (Lower Body), Romingue Kouamé (Lower Body), David Poreba (Lower Body) and Chris Mueller (Not Due to Injury) will be unavailable for selection for tonight’s match.
- Available off the bench for Berhalter will be goalkeeper Jeff Gal; defenders Sam Rogers, Omar González and Justin Reynolds; midfielders Mauricio Pineda, Omari Glasgow, Harold Osorio and Sam Williams; and forward Tom Barlow.
