TORONTO (March 15, 2025) – Chicago Fire FC (2-1-1, 7 points) defeated Toronto FC (0-3-1, 1 point) 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada. Defender Andrew Gutman opened the scoring with his second goal of the season, while Hugo Cuypers tallied the game-winner with his fourth strike of 2025.
Celebrating their home opener, the hosts pressed hard from the start and were rewarded for their push in the 11th minute. Toronto captain Jonathan Osorio got the ball on a give-and-go from Deandre Kerr, then swung the ball wide right to Federico Bernardeschi. The Italian midfielder then sent a well-placed cross into the top of the six-yard box, where Kerr headed the opener in.
The opening goal invigorated the Fire, threatening as the half wore on. In the 27th minute, Sergio Oregel, Jr. nearly got his first after hitting a rocket off the right post from beyond the box. Two minutes later, trying to relieve some pressure, Bernardeschi dribbled out from his box before being dispossessed by Jonathan Bamba. The winger quickly played the ball to Gutman, who took a few touches before unleashing a shot that tucked inside the far post, giving Chicago a short-lived 1-1 tie.
Chicago’s attack intensified as the half wound to a close, nearly resulting in Brian Gutiérrez’s third goal when his free kick was just parried away by goalkeeper Sean Johnson at the line. Seconds later, Cuypers connected with Leonardo Barroso on a give-and-go that the Belgian striker shot on target. Johnson again saved, but the rebound hit the hip of a crashing Cuypers to bounce into the goal in the 44th minute.
Toronto came out of the half looking for an equalizer, something Chicago was looking to exploit. The Fire nearly did so in the 71st minute, when they won a corner kick following a counter. Gutiérrez’s ensuing kick was headed in by Cuypers on the far post. But the goal was disallowed following a review for a foul on Johnson in the box, keeping the score as it was.
The sides followed a similar script throughout the match, with Chicago conceding some possession to hit back on the counter. Omari Glasgow nearly scored from outside the box following a counter shortly before the 90th minute. But Johnson’s save, and the Fire’s defensive effort, kept things as they were, giving Chicago its second consecutive comeback win on the road.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago wraps up a three-game road stretch with a second-straight match north of the border, traveling to face Western Conference foe Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, March 22. 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).
Notes:
- Forward Hugo Cuypers’ 44th minute strike was his fourth goal in three matches, the highest output in the number of games in his MLS career. It also marked the second time in his MLS career that the forward has scored in three matches in a row – doing so in the middle of a four-game scoring streak from May 29 through June 22, 2024.
- Defender Andrew Gutman scored his second goal of the season, and third of his career, for Chicago. The left back had not scored in consecutive matches since August 2022, when he tallied against Seattle and Cincinnati in back-to-back games with Atlanta United FC.
- The victory marked only the second time in Fire history that the Club earned back-to-back comeback victories on the road. The only other time they won twice in the regular season after trailing on the road was in 2012, when Chicago defeated Toronto FC and Chivas USA.
- With Chris Brady, Andrew Gutman, Sergio Oregel, Jr., Mauricio Pineda and Brian Gutiérrez on the Starting XI, the Fire saw the highest number of Chicago Fire Academy graduates on the starting lineup in Club history. The previous high was four, done three times before. The Fire’s 3-2 loss against CF Montréal on Sept. 13, 2022 saw four on the starting lineup, but holds the record for most Homegrown players to appear in the same match with six.
- For the first time this season, Chicago Fire FC saw no MLS debuts in a match, with only midfielder Maren Haile-Selassie making his first appearance of 2025. Saturday also marked the third consecutive match with the same starting backline of Dean, Rogers, Elliott, and Gutman.
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Box Score:Toronto FC 1:2 Chicago Fire FC
Goals:
TOR - Kerr (1) (Bernardeschi 2, Osorio 1) (WATCH) 11’
CHI - Gutman (2) (Bamba, 3) (WATCH) 30’
CHI - Cuypers (4) (Barroso, 1) (WATCH) 44’
Discipline:
None
Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Dean (Barroso, 17’), D Rogers, D Elliott (capt.), D Gutman, M Oregel, Jr., M Pineda, M Gutiérrez (Williams, 86’), F Zinckernagel (Glasgow, 62’), F Cuypers (Barlow, 86’), F Bamba (Haile-Selassie, 62’)
Subs not used: GK Gal, D González, D Cupps, M Osorio
Toronto FC: GK Johnson, D Thompson, D Long (Stefanovic, 45+5’), D Monlouis, D Gomis, D Spicer (Corbeanu, 75’), M Longstaff (Cimermancic, 81’), M Bernardeschi, M Coello (Flores, 75’), M Osorio (capt.), F Kerr (Etienne, Jr., 81’)
Subs not used: GK Gavran, D Franklin, D Petretta
Stats Summary: TFC / CHIShots: 5 / 11
Shots on Goal: 2 / 4
Saves: 2 / 1
Passing Accuracy: 85.9% / 87.0%
Corners: 5 / 3
Fouls: 7 / 11
Offsides: 4 / 2
Possession: 49.6% / 50.4%
Attendance: 22,738
Referee: Allen Chapman
Assistant Referees: Kathryn Nesbitt, Brooke Mayo
Fourth Official: Filip Dukic
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic
AVAR: TJ Zablocki
