Chicago Fire FC Weekly Update
April 28, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release
CHICAGO FIRE FC RETURNS TO SOLDIER FIELD TO FACE ORLANDO CITY SC
Chicago Fire FC will kick off a two-game homestand on Saturday night, when they face Orlando City SC at Soldier Field.
Chicago will seek its fourth victory of the season after returning from Nashville. Winger Philip Zinckernagel scored his third goal of the season before assisting forward Hugo Cuypers on his seventh of 2025, tying him with Philadelphia's Tai Baribo for the league lead in goals scored. Defender Christopher Cupps made his debut for Chicago, playing 14 minutes as the youngest Homegrown player in Club history.
Orlando arrives in Chicago having beaten Atlanta United 3-0 at home. Forward Luis Muriel's opening goal on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute would be enough, as the Lions set a new club record going 436 minutes without conceding a goal. But defender Alex Freeman and winger Marco Pašalić would each tally a goal to wrap up a resounding victory over their rivals.
The Lions have the edge all-time with a record of 8-5-7 against the Fire in MLS regular season play. Their last match at Soldier Field ended in a 1-1 draw on May 29, 2024, in which Cuypers tallied his fourth of the season. Unbeknownst to the Belgian striker at the time, the match would kick off a four-game scoring streak for him and a mark of six goals in six matches that would help the Fire win three of their next five.
Kickoff at Soldier Field is scheduled for 7:30 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 105.1 via the Uforia app (Spanish).
Game Information
CHICAGO FIRE FC (3-4-3, 12 points) vs. Orlando City SC (4-2-4, 16 points)
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Soldier Field - Chicago, Illinois
All-Time MLS Regular Season Record vs. ORL: (5-8-7)
Last Game vs. ORL: May 29, 2024 (1-1 D) - Soldier Field - Chicago (Match Recap)
Last Game at ORL: June 22, 2024 (2-4 L) - Inter&Co Stadium - Orlando, Fla. (Match Recap)
Media Information:
Game Notes for Chicago Fire FC's match against Orlando City SC will be available here on Wednesday, April 30.
by the numbers
2 - Hugo Cuypers has played two matches against Orlando City SC in his time in Major League Soccer. In those two matches, he has scored two times, with both goals coming around the 70-minute mark. With one goal on Saturday, he would tie Aleksandar Katai and Nemanja Nikolić for most second-goals scored against Orlando by a Fire player - and possibly take sole possession of the MLS Golden Boot for the first time since Nikolić won the award in 2017.
9 - When Christopher Cupps entered the pitch in the 76th minute of Saturday's match against Nashville, he became the ninth player this season to make his MLS debut with Chicago, and 11th to make his Fire debut. In a season of firsts in the Windy City, the defender also became the youngest Homegrown player to earn his first minutes for the Club.
18 - Chicago and Orlando are tied for sixth in goals scored with 18 apiece as two of the best offensive teams in MLS. The attack for each team is led by a European Designated Player, with Hugo Cuypers' six goals besting Marco Pašalić's five in 2025. Both teams are in the top 10 in several offensive categories, including expected goals and non-penalty xG. The Men in Red may very well rely on their home field advantage to set themselves apart from Orlando in the match.
• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...
Major League Soccer Stories from April 28, 2025
- RSL and URFC Staff Join Forces with Larry H. Miller Company for Jordan River Cleanup During Annual Service Week 2 - Real Salt Lake
- Chicago Fire FC Weekly Update - Chicago Fire FC
- Colorado Rapids Launch Campaign to Sell out Special Olympics Match - Colorado Rapids
- LAFC and Fox 11 Launch "LAFC Encore" to Re-Air 24 Regular-Season Matches - Los Angeles FC
- Nashville SC Notes Week of April 28, 2025 - Nashville SC
- Kévin Denkey Named to MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 10 - FC Cincinnati
- Djordje Mihailovic Earns Fourth Team of the Matchday Honor After Securing Rapids' Draw with Seattle - Colorado Rapids
- Antony Named to MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 10 - Portland Timbers
- Ondřej Lingr Named to MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday - Houston Dynamo FC
- Sporting KC Weekly - Sporting Kansas City
- LA Galaxy Fall to Portland Timbers at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday Night - LA Galaxy
- Timbers Extend Unbeaten Streak to a Seventh Straight Match with 4-2 Road Victory against LA Galaxy - Portland Timbers
- LAFC Picks up a Point with 2-2 Draw with St. Louis City - Los Angeles FC
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
