The 2022 MLS regular season is upon us at last, as Chicago Fire FC and new head coach Ezra Hendrickson begin the campaign with a trip to Florida to take on Inter Miami CF on Saturday night.
Several new faces dot the Fire's opening day XI, including high-profile offseason additions Xherdan Shaqiri, Rafael Czichos, and Kacper Przybyłko. They'll look to make an impression in their respective Club debuts against a Miami side that features an overhauled roster of its own.
Do not miss coverage when today's opening whistle blows at 5 p.m. CT on WGN and CF97 Live, and be sure to tune in early for an exclusive 30-minute Season Preview Special at 4:30 p.m CT. Today's match is also available via MLS LIVE's out-of-market package on ESPN+.
Get the details on Hendrickson's first Fire starting XI below:
- Six newcomers feature in todays' 20-man matchday roster, including the aforementioned Shaqiri, Czichos, and Przybyłko who will make their Fire debuts. Goalkeeper Spencer Richey, 2022 MLS SuperDraft selection Kendall Burks, and 18-year-old forward Jhon Durán will be available for selection off the bench this evening.
- Shaqiri - the two-time UEFA Champions League winner, Swiss National Team midfielder, and veteran of FC Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Lyon (to name a few) - will line up centrally in Hendrickson's midfield and dictate the Fire attack. Shaqiri has 101 goals scored and 104 assists to his name across all career competitions, and will be relied upon to bring his signature flair for the spectacular into the starting squad tonight.
- Czichos, a former stalwart for FC Köln of the German Bundesliga, slots into central defense and has been named the team's captain for the 2022 season. The 31-year-old defender brings 412 professional appearances worth of experience from the German soccer pyramid to the Fire back line.
- Przybyłko leads the attacking line tonight in his first Chicago start, and will look to build upon the scoring success he had in Philadelphia prior to joining the Fire. The 28-year-old notched 35 goals and 14 assists in 83 appearances (77 starts) with the Union.
- Joining Shaqiri and Przybyłko in attack are Fabian Herbers and Stanislav Ivanov. Herbers, among the Fire's longest-tenured players, has appeared 65 times for the Club since 2019 while scoring seven goals and assisting six times. Ivanov begins his second season with the Fire having appeared 11 times in 2021.
- Rounding out the midfield are Designated Player Gastón Giménez and Mauricio Pineda, who are both entering their third respective seasons in Chicago. Giménez signed a new contract and received his U.S. Green Card this offseason, and will receive his 44th appearance for the Club this evening. Pineda, a Homegrown, leads all players on the roster in appearances since his 2020 rookie season with 52.
- 17-year-old goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina slots in as the opening day starter in net after an eye-opening end to the 2021 season that saw the Addison, Ill. native earn four clean sheets in 11 appearances and a call up to the senior U.S. Men's National Team for World Cup qualifiers.
- Joining Czichos and Slonina among the defensive unit are Boris Sekulić, Wyatt Omsberg, and Miguel Navarro. Sekulić and Navarro have become a consistent fullback tandem in the Fire defense, having lined up opposite one another 40 times since 2020. The duo enter their third respective seasons in Chicago alongside Omsberg, who has 23 appearances to his name in that span.
- Available to Hendrickson as substitutions today are goalkeeper Spencer Richey, defender Kendall Burks, defender Jonathan Bornstein, defender Jhon Espinoza, midfielder Javier Casas Jr., midfielder Federico Navarro, midfielder Brian Gutiérrez, forward Jhon Durán, and forward Chinonso Offor.
- Defender Carlos Terán (right thigh) is out due to injury for tonight's match.
Get a look at Miami's starting lineup below as it becomes available:
