CHICAGO (March 21, 2025) – Following consecutive road victories in comeback fashion, Chicago Fire FC will wrap up a three-game road trip at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, March 22 at BC Place in Vancouver, Canada.
Chicago will take the field in British Columbia having won back-to-back road matches for the first time since 2023, and back-to-back comeback efforts on the road for the first time since 2012. Forward Hugo Cuypers leads the way with four goals in the last three games, while defender Andrew Gutman is now tied for second on the team with two goals, both coming in the last two matches.
Vancouver, meanwhile, return to BC Place having defeated a familiar rival – Chicago’s Brimstone Cup rival FC Dallas, which the Fire defeated the previous week on the road. The 'Caps are enjoying a perfect start to the regular season as one of only seven teams in league history to earn 12 points in the opening four matches. The hot start has been driven by strong collective play, with eight different players scoring at least one goal, and seven of their nine goals coming from six different defenders.
As Western Conference opponents, the ‘Caps have only played the Fire 13 times since the team’s inaugural season in Major League Soccer in 2011. They enjoy a 7-3-3 record against the Men in Red, including a 1-0 win in their last meeting at Soldier Field on August 30, 2023. But Chicago got the upper hand in their last result at BC Place, a 3-1 win on July 23, 2022.
GAME INFORMATION
CHICAGO FIRE FC (2-1-1, 7 points) at Vancouver Whitecaps FC (4-0-0, 12 points)
Saturday, March 22, 2025
BC Place – Vancouver, Canada
All-Time MLS Regular Season Record vs. VAN: (3-7-3)
Last Game vs. VAN: Aug. 30, 2023 (0-1 L) – Soldier Field – Chicago (Match Recap)
Last Game at VAN: July 23, 2022 (3-1 W) – BC Place – Vancouver, B.C. (Match Recap)
KEYS TO THE MATCH
- Close the Trip Out Strong: Chicago has served as spoiler on the road, winning the first two matches of a three-game road trip – on their opponents’ home openers! A victory could give the Fire its first three-game road winning streak since 2009, when they defeated Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls and Chivas USA away from home in the midst of a playoff race.
- Win the Midfield Battle: Vancouver is second in the league in passing percentage, completing 88.6% of all passes, and is fifth in possession. Much of that success has been due to strong midfield play – something that Sergio Oregel, Jr. and the Fire midfield will have to contend with to give the Fire a positive result.
- Defend the Defenders: Vancouver’s perfect start has been driven by a strong team effort, with eight different goal scorers tallying nine goals this season. Among the eight goal scorers are six defenders, including current leader Sam Adekugbe with two goals as a left back.
BY THE NUMBERS
4 – Hugo Cuypers scored his fourth goal in three matches, the most in that number of games in his Fire career. But per Major League Soccer, he is also the first Fire player to score four goals in a three-game span since Luka Stojanović from August 8-18, 2021. The mark is good enough to have Cuypers second in the league in goals at the end of league play on Saturday night.
5 – Chicago saw a team-high five Chicago Fire Academy graduates start the match against Toronto FC on Saturday: Chris Brady, Andrew Gutman, and the midfield trio of Brian Gutiérrez, Sergio Oregel, Jr. and Mauricio Pineda. Chicago’s match against Montréal on Sept. 13, 2022, saw four such starts – Gutiérrez, Pineda, Andre Reynolds, Jr., and Gabriel Slonina – but saw the additional appearances of Victor Bezerra and Javier Casas, Jr., granting it the record for most Academy graduate appearances in a single match.
10 – Andrew Gutman has gained a reputation as an offensive fullback, as his two goals in two matches have demonstrated. But Gutman has also notched 10 blocks in four matches this season – good for fourth in the league, per FBRef. He has also done this with clean play, having suffered more fouls (4) than he has committed (3) and receiving no yellow cards in the process.
HOW TO WATCH
Kickoff at BC Place is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, and transmitted locally on WLS 890 AM and wlsam.com (English) and Que Buena 105.1 via the Uforia app (Spanish).
