The Chicago Fire are heading to Philadelphia to take on the Union, the team that ended the Fire’s in defeat at SeatGeek Stadium last November. That year, both teams were riding high off the boost brought to them by new coaches. The Fire jumped 23 points, from last in the East to hosting a wildcard game, while the Union moved from 12th, out of the playoffs, to a Supporters Shield victory.
When the schedule was released, this early-season matchup could have been a fixture comparing two teams working to take the next step after leaps the previous year, as the Union looked to build on their Shield victory last year into the first trophy won through direct competition in club history and the Fire looked to further climb the standings and advance deeper into the postseason.
That was not to be, however, and early in 2026, both teams have struggled. The Fire have four points in as many games, but the goalscoring ability that seemed to come so naturally to the team last year has largely eluded this year’s squad. The Union, however, have yet to notch their first result and are the only team in MLS that remains in search of their first point in 2026.
A victory for either side could go a long way towards righting the ship early in the teams’ first game of the spring.
What to Expect
Philadelphia Union
To kill a snake, the saying goes, chop off its head. This past offseason, the Union – rattlesnake on the badge – moved Tai Baribo, their leading scorer to D.C. United.
And they sold Kai Wagner, their primary chance creator over the past few seasons and the man responsible for the second-most goal contributions last year, to Birmingham City. And they let Mikael Uhre, number three on the team for goal contributions last year, walk for free. And they moved Jakob Glesnes, a former MLS Defender of the Year and a key stabilizing force on a squad with a lot of young players, on to the LA Galaxy.
That’s not cutting off the head – that’s the head, heart and the tail, all at once. And while the Union’s front office has displayed a remarkable ability to Ship-of-Theseus the team, replacing key parts and then moving on like nothing has changed, they have never tried to replace this many pieces at once. Wagner, in particular, was a special player for how the Union played, as MLS on Apple TV match analyst Danny Higganbotham pointed out in our preview of this match on The Bonfire. (A contributing factor – sporting director Ernst Tanner, the architect of those moves, has been suspended after The Guardian reported numerous examples of misconduct during his time with the team. Earlier this week, MLS announced that their outside investigation “substantiated violations” against him, and he is suspended without pay through June 1 but can return to his post after a restorative practices process. While the Union have insisted he has not had duties with the club since then, Union owner Richie Graham posted photos together with Tanner during a ski trip to Instagram last month.)
In that context, drop off from the team’s 2025 form was inevitable. No points and just two goals after four games? That was not. Many have been quick to point to Union Head Coach Bradley Carnell’s record in St. Louis, where the team went from a top-of-conference-table expansion year to out of the playoffs a year later, as proof that this was inevitable.
Look under the results though, and while there has clearly been a real drop in form (with all due respect to their 12-0 margin over two legs against Trinidad’s Defence Force in CONCACAF play), the results make the drop seem larger than it has actually been.
“We've watched all the games,” Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said in media availability Thursday, “and we have been preparing video and we communicated to the group that although they don't have points, they haven't been playing poorly, and they still have their identity and their identity is defensive pressure. It's winning the ball and it's counterattacking and they do that well. Offensively, they get a lot of balls into the penalty box and they do that well. There's a lot of things they continue to do well.”
Their 3-1 loss against Atlanta last Saturday was the first time that the Union lost by more than one goal, and even then, a 3-2 loss – or even a draw – would have been more than fair. The Union fell to Club América, one of the continent’s superpowers, by a 2-1 margin and actually looked like the protagonists for much of Wednesday night’s second leg in Mexico City.
Behind that? The play of 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan, who started in both legs of the tie and went 63 minutes on Wednesday. He provided the kind of ball progression that the Union could really use more of if Carnell wants his team to get more than one goal every two games. In league play, however? He played just 27 minutes, and none since March 1.
He could be a difference-maker in this matinée, but it’s unclear if Carnell will want to give the young homegrown significant minutes after his midweek outing.
Chicago Fire
One of the themes for the Fire in 2026 has been injuries and other considerations forcing significant changes to the lineup and formation game-to-game.
Frustratingly, it hasn’t simply been a case of players getting healthy after an absence: Hugo Cuypers missed the Fire’s game in Columbus, which gave Chris Mueller an opportunity at striker in his first start since 2024. In that game, Mueller went down with an injury in that one, as did Leo Barroso. Although Barroso was able to return the game after, Mueller – who you’d expect to be a good off-the-bench option on the wing, especially if the team is looking for a goal against tired legs late – has not yet been able to return but was in training this week.
One constant, however: Andrew Gutman, who was one of the best left backs in MLS last year, has missed every game of the Fire’s 2026 season with an injury after playing in every game last year. That looks set to change, with the Chicagoland native saying on social media that he is ready to play in Saturday’s contest.
Just when it felt like the Fire might be able to field a (mostly) healthy lineup save for Franco, still on a longer-term injury, more bad luck struck the Fire. In media availability Thursday, Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter stated that Jack Elliott, the team’s normal captain and a starting center back when healthy, was unavailable. Shortly after, Elliott announced on social media that he had been battling sepsis but was recovering, and was now back home with his family to finish his recovery.
Missing Elliott – particularly in a game against his former team – stings but the team does have a high-quality replacement in Joel Waterman, who is likely in line for a start with Elliott’s absence.
“We obviously wish Jack was with us,” Waterman said, “But he's working on his health now and that's where he needs to be and what he needs to do. Obviously we're going to do our best to try to win the game for him. But there's lots of strength and leadership in the squad.”
That includes Waterman, whose leadership qualities were cited by his coach, but the Canadian international has had less time to develop chemistry with Mbekezli Mbokazi on the pitch, especially playing in a back four.
Gutman’s return should help the Fire with two issues that Berhalter identified following last week’s to D.C.: Problems using the fullbacks creating speed and creating from wide areas. He gives the Fire another tool and having him in the lineup could allow Bamba – who has quietly been doing a lot of the things that don’t end up in a box score very well ‒ to be more effective.
However, Gutman won’t single-handedly (footedly?) solve one of the Fire’s core problems, which has been ball progression into dangerous areas through the middle of the pitch — at least in a timeframe that leads to chance creation. As a result, the Fire’s attack hasn’t been as effective as it was last year.
One issue might be the team switching formations, which Philip Zinckernagel identified as creating additional complexities following the loss to D.C. United last Saturday. He also played more as a no. 10 central attacking midfielder, saying “I still like” the role, “but obviously I’m a little bit further back and helping out in the midfield.” On an individual level, Zinckernagel had a decent game. On a team level? He was effective on the right wing and I’m hoping we finally get to see him there in this one.
