CHICAGO (April 4, 2025) – After a brief, one-match stop on the lakefront, Chicago Fire FC heads back on the road to face defending Eastern Conference champions New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J.
Chicago will hope to continue a five-game undefeated streak, and get back in the win column, following a home draw against CF Montréal. Winger Philip Zinckernagel tallied his second goal of the season in as many games in a row, helping the Fire open the scoring for the second week in a row. Andrew Gutman and Jonathan Bamba worked together to provide the assist, with the latter now tied for first place in the league in assists with four.
New York will look to amend for a heartbreaking 2-1 loss at New England Revolution to open Matchday 6 on Saturday. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting tied the match at 1-1 during first half stoppage time, and the Red Bulls would hold on through regulation time. But a late penalty kick by Carles Gil – scored seven minutes into stoppage time – handed New York its first loss since Matchday 1. The loss dropped the Red Bulls to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings at the end of Matchday 6.
Saturday’s match will mark the 70th all-time regular season meeting between Chicago and New York, dating back to the Fire’s earliest days in the league. Chicago will look for its 33rd win against the Red Bulls, while New York will hope to improve upon a 21-32-16 overall record against the longtime Eastern Conference rivals. The Fire won their last matchup 2-1 on Sept. 14, 2024 at Soldier Field; the Red Bulls haven’t beaten the Men in Red at home since a 2-0 win on May 1, 2021.
Game Information
CHICAGO FIRE FC (3-1-2, 11 points) at New York Red Bulls (2-2-2, 8 points)
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Sports Illustrated Stadium – Harrison, N.J.
All-Time MLS Regular Season Record vs. RBNY: (32-21-16)
Last Game vs. RBNY: Sept. 14, 2024 (2-1 W) – Soldier Field – Chicago (Match Recap)
Last Game at RBNY: April 13, 2024 (0-0 D) – Red Bulls Arena – Harrison, N.J. (Match Recap)
Keys to the Match
- Throw the Zinck at ‘Em: One week after Philip Zinckernagel tallied his first goal of the season in Vancouver, the Dane found the net again at Soldier Field. His smooth dribbling between the lines in Canada gave way to a more direct approach in rainy Chicago, where he tapped home a cross from Andrew Gutman after a no-look pass from Jonathan Bamba. As Zinckernagel heats up, his importance to the team will be on display in New Jersey.
- As Sergio Goes, Chicago Goes: Expected to continue his development in 2025, 19-year-old Sergio Oregel, Jr. has instead been thrust into the middle of things – literally. His 88.9 percent passing accuracy rate in the central midfield is in the 90th percentile of the league, all while being fouled more than any other Fire player not named Hugo Cuypers. His distribution has helped the attack flourish, while also helping the defense with his work rate.
- Beat Red Bull Ball: “Everyone knows how we want to play, the identity of Red Bull: with high intensity, first of all, and very aggressive against the ball,” said New York Red Bulls head coach Sandro Schwarz at his introductory press conference. “Red Bull Ball” is alive and well in Schwarz’s second year. It will be a challenge for the Fire backline to play out of New York’s high press, but there will be ample reward on the other side when they do.
By the Numbers
1 – Despite the history between Chicago and New York, neither team currently has a player with more than one goal scored against the other. For the Fire, only former Red Bull Tom Barlow has a goal against his old side: the opener in a 2-1 victory against New York on Sept. 14, 2024. Saturday could potentially be a night of firsts for many Men in Red.
2 – Only four teams in the league are averaging two goals per game or more: Orlando, Miami, Philadelphia and Chicago. The Fire’s average of 2.17 goals per 90 minutes is tied for third in the league with the Union. Their league-leading expected goals per shot (xG/shot per Statsbomb) of .15 show that the Fire have created more quality chances in front of goal than any team other than Miami.
4 – Winger Jonathan Bamba was credited with a second assist on Philip Zinckernagel’s goal on Saturday, his fourth of the season overall, and good enough for a tie for first in the league. The assist was one of the more aesthetically pleasing passes of the year as well: a no-look, backheeled pass to a sprinting Andrew Gutman that caught the Montréal defense flatfooted and ended with an easy Zinckernagel finish.
How to Watch
First kick in Harrison is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and transmitted locally on wlsam.com (English) and Que Buena Fire via the Uforia app (Spanish).
