The Chicago Fire have secured home field advantage for the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs this season. The Men in Red found out last week that they would face Charlotte FC in a best-of-three series, and they now know that they will host games one and three of that contest.
This year's Fire finished the regular season in 4th place – their highest finish since they were 3rd in 2017. They were locked into finishing between 4th and 5th last week due to a combination of results around the East, though where exactly they finished was up for grabs entering Decision Day against the Columbus Crew.
The Fire drew 3-3 at SeatGeek Stadium, but because Charlotte failed to beat Miami, 4th place was secured at the final whistle.
Due to the Chicago Bears' home schedule, first round home games are set to be played at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. The Fire played both postseason matches at the venue last season, including their season-ending 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union.
Charlotte is a favorable postseason opponent for Chicago, and those involved with the club will no doubt be happy that the Fire avoided the likes of Philadelphia and Miami for the first round of the playoffs. The Fire are 4-0-0 against Charlotte since Gregg Berhalter took the job ahead of last season; they are the only team he has a perfect record against, with the most recents meetings being a 2-1 Soldier Field victory in August and a scrappy 1-0 road win in September.
The first game of the series will be played the weekend of November 21st, with first round dates set to be confirmed on Sunday evening following Decision Day. The second game will be a week later, and, if necessary, the third round will be played in the first weekend of December.
