The Chicago Fire’s preseason wrapped up on Saturday, so it’s now all eyes on the MLS season kickoff a week from today. It was a pretty laid-back preseason for the Fire relative to years past, and they enjoyed successful trips to both Florida and California. Here are three players who earned increased roles during the camp, and three who left space to grow.
Winner: Chris Mueller
What a difference 12 months can make. A year ago, Chris Mueller’s preseason was cut short by a pericarditis diagnosis, something that ultimately kept him off the field for the entirety of 2025. This time around, he was the attacking star of the Coachella Invitational, and was involved in the goals in all three matches.
Though there’s little he can do to establish himself as a first-choice starter given that Jonathan Bamba and Philip Zinckernagel are clearly the top two wingers on the depth chart, Mueller accounted for himself extremely well during preseason and seems poised to play a role this year after his future was incredibly uncertain. The 29-year-old came off the bench to score the game-winner in the first game against the L.A. Galaxy, and again scored in a 90-minute outing at center forward against Portland Timbers in the final match. He added assists against Austin FC and Portland as well.
This preseason performance means everything for Mueller. He did enough to keep himself firmly in the first team plans, and could even be a viable option at striker, a position where the Fire don’t have a proven MLS-level backup behind Hugo Cuypers. Though he had a strong MLS résumé prior to his diagnosis, it is something of a surprise that he’s already playing at such a higher level, and it is an incredibly welcome one as he will be on the Fire’s supplemental roster in 2026.
Loser: Joel Waterman
Though he was one of the Fire’s most consistent players in the final third of last season, Waterman is set to enter the 2026 campaign as more of a squad player than regular. The team signed South African international star Mbekezeli Mbokazi during the offseason, an exciting young player who surprised many by how quickly he adapted in his first three Fire friendlies. Waterman was the one to make way, and was unused in the final preseason match.
The Fire’s overall very talented center back depth chart pretty much solidified itself during preseason. Jack Elliott, despite a shaky outing against Portland, will still be a locked-in starter for now, while Mbokazi shone bright enough to earn the left center back spot. Waterman will be CB3, and will start if the Fire opt for a back three, but at least for now the starting duo seems set.
Elsewhere in the defensive department, it’s difficult to see where Sam Rogers and Christopher Cupps will get any major league minutes, barring injuries elsewhere. Gregg Berhalter did tell MIR97 Media last month that he expects Cupps to get double-digit starts in 2026, likely as rotation, but Rogers seems set to just be a backup. While this depth chart orientation did seem like an inevitability when Mbokazi signed, it has solidified itself quicker than some might have expected.
Winner: Anton Salétros
Berhalter and the Fire have wanted Anton Salétros for a long time. They wanted him so much, in fact, that they loaned in Rominigue Kouamé for a year before going back in for Salétros in 2026. They got their man, and the Swede showed why as he was probably the Fire’s overall best player of preseason.
Salétros scored a free kick on his debut in Florida during the first phase of preseason, making an excellent first impression. He followed it up by firmly writing his name in sharpie into the starting XI throughout the rest of preseason, setting him up well to be a key player this year in Berhalter’s midfield. Crucially, he also worked well together with Djé D’Avilla, the team’s starting defensive midfielder and one of its absolute top talents.
Barring injury, Salétros is playing like someone who will be a fixture in the Fire’s midfield for the rest of the season. He adds coolness, flexibility, and vision that Kouamé lacked, while also bringing a new dimension to the team via his set piece prowess. When André Franco returns from his ACL tear in the summer, it will be clear that Berhalter knocked it out of the park with his midfield signings.
Loser: Viktor Radojević
Radojević’s nightmare start to his time in Chicago continues with an aggravation of the injury that’s kept him out for months. The talented Serbian defender has not yet had any opportunity to make any sort of impression in the U.S., as he’s been training separately from the team practically since the day he touched down at O’Hare last summer.
What really makes this worse is that starting left back Andrew Gutman was injured ahead of the final preseason game on Saturday, and Radojević is not there to capitalize on it. Instead, Maren Haile-Selassie and Omari Glasgow got the minutes at left back, and both did well enough that it’s evident the Fire have quite a few options behind Gutman at left back. Glasgow in particular showed his quality on the left side, adding a new position to his toolset in the process.
Nonetheless, the fact that Radojević has barely been healthy at all is a major concern. He’s an exciting player and one for the future, but at some point, he has to get on the field, and that still hasn’t happened yet.
Winner: Maren Haile-Selassie
Haile-Selassie was earmarked this winter as someone who could leave the Fire. He’s been in MLS for three years now, and with a valuable international tag sitting on the bench, it seemed like it may be time for a new challenge. Not only was he back with the team for preseason, but he was one of the better performers overall, and made a case for a bigger role this year than he had in 2025.
Primarily thought of as a winger, Haile-Selassie has featured in a number of positions for the Fire, including wingback, fullback, attacking midfield, and center forward. This preseason was no different, and in addition to strong outings on both wings, he had a solid shift at left back against the Portland Timbers. Haile-Selassie has a great case to again be the Fire’s first man off the bench in several areas of the field.
In addition to Haile-Selassie, Omari Glasgow did well in his limited minutes. The Guyana international’s future in Chicago was also uncertain in part because of his international slot, but he showed that he has a role to play as long as he fits on the roster.
Loser: Jason Shokalook
The expectations for Shokalook weren’t particularly high, considering he was just promoted to the Fire first team from the second team, so this is perhaps a bit unfair. Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that Berhalter opted to trial Chris Mueller as a number nine instead of giving Shokalook another outing.
Shokalook, who won the MLS Next Pro Golden Boot last season, is one of only two natural center forwards on the Fire’s roster. Hugo Cuypers is the other, and considering he scored 21 goals in all competitions last season, hardly coming off the field, indications are that it’s going to be more of the same in 2026. Like his predecessor Tom Barlow, Shokalook didn’t manage to find the net during preseason despite ample opportunities, so there’s no reason to believe his role during the season will be any greater either.
Nonetheless, there won’t be any alarm bells ringing about Shokalook’s lack of goals in preseason. Cuypers will play practically all the minutes, and Chris Mueller showed on Saturday that he may be an option up front as well. Shokalook still has space to grow and develop into a true MLS-level backup.
