The 2026 MLS regular season ends tonight, and the Chicago Fire's final foe of the campaign is one that's familiar to everyone from longtime fans to the team's head coach. In 1998, the exclamation point on the Fire's inaugural campaign was the team's U.S. Open Cup victory over the Crew, clinching the historic double for the expansion side. 28 years and 8 days later, the Fire again face the Crew, this time, in a Decision Day matchup that also has real takes for both teams.
The first game of the Chicago Fire's Gregg Berhalter era was against his former team in Columbus. In that game nearly two years ago, both the promise and the perils of the 2025 edition of the Fire were on full display, as an early offensive burst gave way to defensive lapses.
This year, the coda to the Fire's regular season campaign again could again be a showcase for the squad, as questions swirl around how far the team might advance into the postseason: Will the revamped defense hold in firm? How much can the Fire get out of André Franco, now freshly returned from an ACL injury that saw him sidelined for 13 months? And will that be enough to feed Robert Lewandowski with the service he needs to produce the kinds of highlight-reel finishes that made one of the game's most prolific goal scorers in the history of the game famous?
Columbus also have questions around the team but make no mistake: The Laurent Courtois-coached Crew side the Fire are a sterner test than the version of the team the Fire faced back in March.
Courtois' second game in charge, the Crew do this. Got a good idea of what this team's gonna look like in July!
— Matthew Doyle (@mattdoyle.bsky.social) 9:05 AM · May 25, 2026
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Since Courtois took the reins of the team in May, the squad has drastically turned around their fortunes, catapulting from 13th in the Eastern Conference to 8th place, with a spot somewhere in the postseason confirmed.
Courtois's Crew team are playing with more fluidity and more effectiveness than team were under their previous coach, and they've climbed the table without two of the stars that were on the roster at the beginning of the season: Forward Wessam Abou Ali has been sidelined with ACL tear since April, and winger Diego Rossi departed the team midseason, joining former Fire striker Hugo Cuypers at CF Monterrey.
Now the Crew are coming to Bridgeview white-hot: They're on a five game winning streak in MLS play, and the only blemishes on their record in the past 10 games was a loss in penalty kicks to St. Louis City in the U.S. Open Cup final and a 3-2 loss in Orlando almost a month ago.
Now both teams enter Decision Day looking for a victory: A win, and nothing else, guarantees the Fire fourth place and crucial home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. For the Crew, only a win can guarantee the team at least one home game in the postseason, whether that come in the form of hosting the wildcard game or the second game of the best-of-three in the first round proper. With help from results around them, however, the Crew could jump as high as sixth place.
Both the Fire and the Crew have a lot to play for in this one, but the most important one may ultimately be the symbolic victory of a win in November, which each side hopes will be the first of many.
