The Chicago Fire held pressure but weren't decisive early as St. Louis were able to beat the Fire 2-1 at SeatGeek Stadium in a game where substitutions were a liability for the hosts and a positive for the victors.
As a result, the Fire's U.S. Open Cup journey ended in a chilly spring evening at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
Facing a MLS team for the first time in this year’s edition of the tournament, Gregg Berhalter played a strong lineup, but he did make a few changes. Chief amongst them, he gave Dylan Borso his first start after playing well in a baptism-by-Fire situation when he played the majority of a game at right back in Columbus early in the league’s season. At the other full back position, Viktor Radojević received his second start in the team’s Open Cup campaign.
Sergio Oregel Jr., Mauricio Pineda and Joel Waterman were also given starts after being bench options in most of the Fire’s recent games, putting the team in a 4-3-3 against St. Louis’s 3-4-2-1.
For his part, St. Louis’s Yoann Damet also played a mostly favored lineup, starting with Venezuelan striker Sergio Córdova up top and including Marcel Hartel, Cedric Teuchert and Daniel Edelman in the midfield.
The first chance of the game was the Fire’s. Maren Haile-Selassie, playing in from the left wing, sent the ball in to Hugo Cuypers in a glorious position with acres of space and only Roman Bürki back for St. Louis. His shot, though, went off the right post and no one in red could get on the rebound.
Throughout the rest of the half, the Fire held the lion’s share of pressure but the final pass, the actual shot, eluded them for most of the opening frame. Fifteen minutes after his first attempt, Cuypers again attempted a shot but it again went wide, this time hitting the right netting.
As a result, the first actual shot on target wasn’t until the 38th minute, when Chris Durkin had an attempt from distance with a number of bodies between him and the net. The effort was easily handled by Chris Brady. The shot was against the run of play, and sure enough, the next attempt on the net was the Fire’s, but the closest that Haile-Selassie, working off of service from Anton Salétros, could get to a goal was another shot for the Fire on the woodwork.
In the second half, the Fire were again dominant on the ball but didn’t break through until the 64th minute, when Anton Salétros headed Philip Zinckernagle’s service off a corner past Bürki.
Ahead 1-0 and having had control of the game, Berhalter went to his bench after the goal, taking off the goalscorer and Hugo Cuypers for Robin Lod and Jason Shokalook.
The subs didn’t take long to have an effect. As the Fire tried to build up off a goal kick, Lod gave the ball away deep in the Fire’s half. With Brady pulled well out of position, Joel Waterman was able to get a goal line clearance on Hartle’s first shot but neither he nor Brady could get in position to stop the second attempt by Tomas Totland.
Just six minutes later, two of St. Louis’s substitutions would have the next impact on the game. Mykhi Joyner sent the ball to the center of the box to waiting Eduard Löwen who made no mistake in sending it past Brady.
That put the visitors up 2-1 while the Fire had already taken off may of their better attacking pieces.
The loss ends Chicago’s 2026 Open Cup campaign, white St. Louis will go to the quarterfinals in the competition for the first time in team history.
The Fire are back in action in league play this Saturday, when they host FC Cincinnati in a rematch of the teams' eventful 3-3 draw in Cincinnati two weeks ago. Kickoff at Soldier Field is 7:30 PM CT.
