The master has finally defeated the apprentice.
Gregg Berhalter earned his first win over B.J. Callaghan on Saturday, as the Fire stunned a red-hot Nashville SC 1-0 at Soldier Field.
The first talking point of the game came when the Fire’s lineup was announced. With Hugo Cuypers out through injury, versatile winger Maren Haile-Selassie started up front. He’s done it before, but it was the first time under Berhalter that the former FC Lugano star started as a #9.
There was also another enforced swap before kickoff. Joel Waterman, originally intending to start in place of a partially fit Jack Elliott, was injured in warmups. This prompted Berhalter to bring Elliott back into the lineup, a decision that would later prove costly.
Nonetheless, the Fire got off to the most perfect start possible. Haile-Selassie’s pressing provided an opportunity for the Fire, as he fed Jonathan Bamba in transition. Bamba sent a ball toward the six-yard box, and Philip Zinckernagel got on the end of it, scoring his first goal of 2026. At 17 seconds, it’s the quickest goal in club history.
Nashville’s biggest chance of the half came through Golden Boot leader Sam Surridge. The Englishman, who already had 7 goals in the first 5 games of the season, knocked a volley wide from close range in the 18th minute.
Despite Nashville’s status as league leaders, the Fire were the team in control. Zinckernagel, Lod, and Bamba pummeled the opposing goal right before halftime, but failed to break through.
The Fire maintained their stability in the game through a largely uneventful second half. Bamba came close from a string of chances in the opening minutes and Surridge forced a Chris Brady save right after the hour mark, but Zinckernagel's first minute goal stood as the decider.
Elliott, who was starting the game not yet at 100%, was withdrawn in the 62nd minute with another injury. 17-year-old Christopher Cupps replaced him for the final half hour and performed well in his place.
The closest Nashville came to a leveler was in the 74th minute, in a moment Brady will hope Mauricio Pochettino was tuned in for. The 22-year-old USMNT keeper made a remarkable one-handed stop on a Hany Mukhtar free kick, building on what was reportedly an excellent week with the national team in Atlanta.
In the final stages, the Fire were the team clinging on. In the eighth minute of stoppage time, Nashville had a string of chances, but the home team managed to thwart them. The defensive efforts preserved an unlikely win, propelling the Fire up to 5th in the East, and just one point behind Inter Miami.
