The Chicago Fire are back to winning ways, and finally found a way to defeat the Philadelphia Union this Saturday. The Union, who ended the Fire's season and against whom the Fire went 0-0-4 in 2026, are yet to win in MLS this year, but still proved a formidable test at their home on the banks of the Delaware River.
Here are five things we learned from the Fire's 2-1 win in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
1. The Fire can respond well... in more ways than one
Following last week's crushing 2-1 defeat at home to D.C. United, it would not have been unprecedented for the Fire to slip into an extended run of negative results. That did not happen at all this time around, and Berhalter's team looked unfazed by their negative results in the last two games, going on to maintain control against the Union.
Additionally, in an in-game setting, the Fire responded well to adversity in ways they haven't necessarily done in the past. For one, they conceded twice late against D.C. last time out, but this time, they re-took the lead just 13 minutes of play after Milan Iloski's equalizer. They also maintained energy and pressure after Philip Zinckernagel and Andrew Gutman both exited the game earlier than they might have, due to Zinckernagel's injury and Gutman's minutes restriction. Their replacements, Maren Haile-Selassie and Viktor Radojević, each brought new life at those respective points in the game.
Next, they must face the other team that gave them demons in 2025. While Philadelphia outscored the Fire 10-2 in four meetings, Nashville slammed them 9-2 in just two matches. Their ability to respond in such a setting will be tested at Soldier Field against B.J. Callaghan's thus-far unbeaten group.
2. Mbokazi, Radojević impress
The Fire's most-anticipated signing in years arrived in Chicago with a train of hype behind him. That means nothing until you turn up and play to match those expectations, and that is exactly what Mbokazi did on Saturday against the Union in a game that was undoubtedly important to the fans.
On the defensive side of the ball, the South African did everything you would expect of him. He kept the likes of Cavan Sullivan and Milan Iloski largely at bay, using clever coverage of space to limit runs in behind. He also recovered well to balls over the top, with the Union attempting to capitalize on Mbokazi's smaller frame but to little avail.
The aspect of Mbokazi's game against the Union that really stood out and elevated his assessment, however, was his playmaking and how it made him the primary driving force behind the victory. Shortly after twice thwarting an attempted Union attack through Bruno Damiani, Mbokazi turned around and combined with Robin Lod to create the chance resulting in the Fire's first goal. Mbokazi cut the ball through some midfield traffic to make the opportunity happen, and when Gutman got in behind his opposing defenders, he was well-positioned to set up a simple Hugo Cuypers finish from close range.
Mbokazi's stability on the ball has brought an added dimension to the Fire's back line this season, but his ability to change the game with his recovery speed and line-breaking passes was truly on display today. While Jack Elliott's absence was felt, the 20-year-old left center back was everywhere, dominating the Union's powerful attack despite not matching their physical frame.
One other positive performance from the Fire's night was that of left back Viktor Radojević, who got 45 minutes. It was his first full, real run of minutes since arriving in Chicago, and he excelled, shining as one of the better performers in the second half. It's another move for the future that adds a new dimension to the Fire's depth.
3. The Fire can control the game on the road (again)
Last season, the Fire were inexplicably better on the road than they were at home for large parts of the season. Against an albeit weakened and tired Union, the Fire looked fully in control, especially throughout the full second half.
There are several reasons their approach in Chester was so effective. The decision to pull Robin Lod into the midfield and return Philip Zinckernagel to his natural right wing was clearly the right call, allowing Lod to set the tempo against Jesús Bueno, who was having a poor game. Though Zinckernagel had a quiet first 30 minutes before being withdrawn, Maren Haile-Selassie's pace on the right side made it a very favorable matchup against Philippe Ossibadjouo, who struggled mightily to contain him.
Individual matchups aside, however, it was a night where the Fire prevented the Union from finding much of a rhythm, with the visiting team's approach preventing the generation of good opportunities other than a few fleeting chances here and there. In a stark contrast to the last Subaru Park meeting between these teams, where the Fire ceded all possession to the Union for the first 75 minutes and absorbed pressure from a back five, Saturday's game saw the Fire take the initiative and finish with a majority of possession (53-47). They also produced triple the Union's Expected Goals, winning that battle 2.52-0.85.
The nature of the victory – in a place where the Fire have struggled mightily in recent memory – is the most significant part of it. It's their first win in Chester since 2013, and they had to work hard for it.
4. Hugo Cuypers has a point to prove
It's now 4 games, 4 goals for Hugo Cuypers in 2026, marking arguably his best run of games since joining the Fire in a club-record deal ahead of the 2024 season. And in a year where the biggest transfer story bubbling under the service is the Fire's long-standing interest in Robert Lewandowski, Cuypers is off to a dream start.
On Saturday, Cuypers was the one to open the scoring, doing so at the beginning of first half stoppage time. The Belgian center forward made a clever run into the penalty box as the Fire launched a quick attack, and left South African star defender Olwethu Makhanya flat-footed as he headed the ball past Andre Blake. It was a finish with a high degree of difficulty, but Cuypers made it look easy.
Off the ball, Cuypers had a good game as well. He made four defensive contributions, as well as winning three ground duels. He was strong in the press and dropped deeper into the midfield during spells when the Fire were more up against it. Though he didn't touch the ball during the sequence, Cuypers was involved in the second goal as well; his dummy jump forced Frankie Westfield to take a step forward, vacating space at the back post for Jonathan Bamba to restore the advantage for the Fire in the 58th minute.
Though Cuypers has received some criticism over the last two seasons for the quantity of chances he has missed, that version has not been on display so far in 2026. If he can continue producing at the rate he is, he'll take a step forward from 2025 and firmly put himself in the Golden Boot conversation.
5. The Fire are where they want to be at this stage
Five games into the season, the Fire sit in fifth position in the East. That's exactly where they were last year, albeit that time they had 10 points (compared to this year's 7 points). It isn't quite the "second-best start in club history" that it was at this stage 12 months ago, but it's a pretty solid place to be one month into the campaign.
Furthermore, they've accomplished this start while relying more on depth than they did in 2025. Though a midfield injury crisis did envelop that position group in March, this year has seen a scattering of issues across the field. Hugo Cuypers missed Week 3 and was not fully fit in Week 4; Andrew Gutman has missed nine of the first ten halves; Mbekezeli Mbokazi's center back partner/partners has/have changed in every game; Leo Barroso and Jonathan Dean also missed games, meaning Dylan Borso made two appearances at right back.
Fortunately, these are all short-term concerns, and so there is more promised stability to the Fire's start than there was last year. That time, they failed to win any of their next six after this point. If they can do better than that, they'll be well-positioned to stick around at the top of the East rather than slip back into a position of mid-table struggle, where they were for most of last season.
