The Chicago Fire’s 2026 U.S. Open Cup campaign is set to start when they head to Hamtranck, Mich. to take on Detroit City at Keyworth Stadium. The U.S. Open Cup has long been an important competition for the Fire, who became the first MLS team to win the now-113-year-old competition four times.
The game is the first time the Fire have begun their U.S. Open Cup journey on the road since the 2019 season. It is also the second year in a row the Fire begin their quest for their fifth Cup against Detroit City.
Last year, playing at SeatGeek Stadium, Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter opted to play the team’s normal starters and his team cruised to a 4-0 victory over the visitors. On the road this time, the Fire should once again consider itself heavy favorites.
Still, cupsets happen, and this year’s Detroit City has made notable strides over the squad the Fire faced last year.
One thing that remains: Detroit’s manager Danny Dichio, who was in charge of the team during current Fire set piece coach Ryan Needs’s latter years with the club.
Fire to Face Revamped Detroit City
Detroit City has been one of the best defensive teams in the USL Championship ever since the team entered the league. Over the course of their first four seasons, the squad conceded just over one goal per game on average – 136 goals over 132 matches – and has made the postseason every year.
Outside of the 2024 season, however, when the team finished fourth in the league and third in USL’s Eastern Conference, they’ve always made it in as a lower seed.
Coming into 2026, Detroit overhauled their roster more than they have since entering the league from the lower-tier NISA ahead of the 2024 season, looking to move up in USL’s competitive ladder ahead of their new, 15,000 seat soccer specific stadium’s planned opening in 2027.
So far, it’s worked — with an asterisk. Detroit City is up to third place in the Eastern Conference – but they’ve done it, largely, the same way they’ve always played: By being good on defense and getting just enough going the other way. Five games into their league campaign, they’ve conceded just two goals, but scored just six – half of those coming in their season opener when they beat Brooklyn FC 3-0 in what was the New York club’s first-ever road game.
You can’t argue with results, but for a team whose offseason plans looked geared towards generating more offense, they haven’t exactly been lighting up the league.
One thing that is in the background:
Key Player To Watch
Darren Smith
Darren Smith was Detroit’s 2025 team Golden Boot winner, although his production peaked early before quieting down later in the year.
In 2026, the veteran South African center forward (could we be looking at a fun matchup against Mbekezli Mbokazi?) has been responsible for all but one of Detroit City’s goals.
Celebrating with a kiss of his baby 🥹
— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) April 11, 2026
Darren Smith's league-leading fifth goal of the year gives @DetroitCityFC an early lead! pic.twitter.com/QsBXyArY3x
Detroit have other tools out there – they brought back Maxi Rodríguez, who was the team’s leading scorer in both 2024 and 2022 after a year away – but so far, it’s been Smith who has been the one producing for Le Rouge.
Smith got one in the back of the net in last year’s Open Cup matchup against the Fire – but it was his own net, putting his side down by two goals. That made the game a lot more comfortable for the Fire going back into the tunnel at half, and Detroit greatly lowered Detroit’s chances of upsetting the Fire in Gregg Berhalter’s first time coaching in a U.S. Open Cup game since 2018.
(How Much) Will the Fire Rotate?
Last year, against Detroit, Berhalter rolled out a mix of the team’s usual starters and rotation pieces. With Jeff Gal in line for his first MLS start in the Fire’s next match, the normal starters who got the nod against Detroit included Chris Brady, who had earned a red card the weekend before against Orlando City.
Jonathan Bamba, Hugo Cuypers and Andrew Gutman all got starts, while Philip Zinckernagel was given the night off, and wasn’t in the match day squad. Djé D’Avilla had his first start for the Fire as Berhalter thoroughly rotated the midfield. Omari Glasgow started at wingback, scored a second-half goal and played the full 90, while Cuypers, Elliott and Bamba were all subbed off early in the second half.
Expect something similar this year – though last year’s matchup against Detroit was at home. This year’s meeting is on the road, and that makes it likely we may see a bit more rotation. On top of that, Cuypers is unlikely to be available. It also wouldn’t surprise me if, after his first start since coming back from illness, Jack Elliott started on the bench – or was given the night off entirely.
The key question is whether Berhalter will once again rely on the the 4-2-2-2 that we saw over the past two games when Cuypers was unavailable, or will he revert to to a 4-3-3 and give Jason Shokalook, second in the depth chart behind Cuypers at center forward, his first Chicago Fire start?
Other players that could be in line for their first starts with the team include Viktor Radojević, Dylan Borso, and David Poreba.
Regardless of who’s given the nod, Berhalter should expect that the squad given the nod will take care of business at Keyworth.
