It is back to the lakefront for Chicago Fire FC Head Coach Frank Klopas and the Men in Red, who face off against 2023 MLS Supporters’ Shield winners FC Cincinnati on Saturday at Soldier Field. It’s the second-straight season in which Chicago plays their home opener against Cincinnati.
Klopas looks to earn his 50th victory as head coach of the Fire after returning from a hard-fought 2-2 draw on the road against the Philadelphia Union. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The match will also be transmitted locally in English on 890 WLS-AM and in Spanish on WRTO 1200 AM.
The Fire will debut the new “Return to Red” kits against Cincinnati, donning the Club’s signature color for the first time since 2020.
- In 12 Home Opening matches at Soldier Field, the Fire hold an all-time record of 5-1-6.
- Chicago has posted a 3-4-3 record in 10 league matches against FC Cincinnati with the last encounter at Soldier Field ending in a 3-3 draw.
- Swiss midfielder and four-time FIFA World Cup veteran Xherdan Shaqiri was named team captain and will wear the armband for the 12th time as a member of the Chicago Fire.
- U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Kellyn Acosta earns his first Club start and his 213th overall MLS start.
- Midfielder Fabian Herbers will start his 83rd match for the Club, and is looking to score in his second-straight Home Opener.
- Designated Player Hugo Cuypers and defender Allan Arigoni will earn their second Club and Major League Soccer starts.
- Also starting in their second straight match together on the backline are defenders Rafael Czichos and Mauricio Pineda. Pineda records his 92nd career MLS start, eight away from being the first Homegrown Player in Club history to start 100 MLS matches for the Fire.
- Midfielder Gastón Giménez earns his 98th start for the Fire.
- Homegrown midfielder Brian Gutiérrez makes his 90th MLS appearance, just 10 games away from becoming the second Chicago Fire Homegrown Player to reach 100 games.
- Gutiérrez once again lines up across from Maren Haile-Selassie, marking the 19th time the duo starts together.
- Homegrown goalkeeper Chris Brady will start his second straight match of the 2024 season.
- Available off the bench for Klopas are goalkeeper Spencer Richey, defenders Jonathan Dean, Chase Gasper, Wyatt Omsberg, and Tobias Salquist, midfielders Federico Navarro and Chris Mueller, and forwards Tom Barlow and Georgios Koutsias.
- Goalkeeper Bryan Dowd (lower leg), defender Andrew Gutman (upper leg), midfielder Javier Casas Jr. (lower leg) and forward Victor Bezerra (upper leg) will not be available for tonight’s match.
