The Chicago Fire started their final stretch of their preseason campaign on the right foot with a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The Fire played a mostly first-choice Starting XI in the first half out of a 4-3-2-1 formation, something that the Fire hadn't employed to start a match during 2026. The lineup included South African U-22 Initiative center back Mbekezeli Mbokazi, getting his first minutes for the Fire. The Galaxy played a mostly first-choice lineup throughout the game.
Hugo Cuypers opened the scoring for the Fire in the 30th minute, assisted by Philip Zinckernagel, who then added a second eight minutes later off of service from Maren Haile-Selassie.
The Fire's only change in the intermission was to bring on Canadian international Joel Waterman for Mbokazi. Six minutes into the second frame, Gabriel Pec got a goal back for the Galaxy in a play assisted by former St. Louis City striker João Klaus. Shortly thereafter, the Fire did a total line change, swapping all 10 remaining starters. The move also shifted the team into a 3-2-2-3 formation with three center backs.
Pec completed his brace in the 77th minute to level the game for the Galaxy before Chris Mueller scored the eventual game winner for the Fire seven minutes later off a pass from Omari Glasgow.
The win was the Fire's third in three games in 2026 and ensures the Fire will have a winning record in preseason for the fourth year in a row, regardless of the results in their final tune-up matches this week against Austin and Portland.
Here's what the team said after the win, in their own words.
Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter
.... on the Coachella Valley Invitational tournament
“I think it's great. You get to see all your colleagues, you get to see all the people that you know and the weather – look at this weather! And the pitches have been great this year. So, it's an amazing event and I think the best part about it is you get supporters, so I think we're lucky to have that.”
... on what makes the tournament unique compared to European preseasons
“Well, this is centralized, right? You have 12 teams here. So you don't really see that so much in Europe. I mean, in general, you go to your own little private area. I remember, we always went to Austria in the summer or, in the winter, we go to Turkey or Dubai, and there's not many teams. So this is great. You get to see what other teams are doing and you get to be in touch with some people that you've known for a long time.”
... on the Fire letting the Galaxy back into the game after a strong first half
“I think it's fine, it's normal. I think in preseason that, as you continue to play minutes, you get fatigued, especially in the hot sun. But in the same sense, we don't want to make excuses for not great starts to the second half. So, we'll evaluate, but overall, happy with the performance. When the next group came in, they fought and were able to get a goal. So there's some good things there.”
... on what it means to earn a victory after the Galaxy equalized
“We're trying to set our standards and our standards are to win. And so when you see a group – they tied up 2-2, and we have to claw back into it, and we get the goal – you’re happy with that.”
... on watching other teams play at the tournament
“Yeah for sure. Yeah, checking all the other games out and bits and pieces, supporting some friends who are coaching.”
... on Anton Salétros's set piece abilities complimenting Zinckernagel's
“No, they're both very good at set pieces. It gives us options and I think that's the most important thing – it gives us two different looks. So we're happy with that.”
... on Mbokazi's debut performance
“I thought he did well. Very good in the duels, some good buildups, and overall, a good performance.”
Attacker Philip Zinckernagel
... on his impressions of the tournament
“Yeah, it's great. The grass is amazing, the weather is fantastic. It’s wonderful. It’s perfect.
... comparing the Coachella Valley Invitational to Europe
“I mean, it's a little bit similar to if you go to Marbella or you go to Portugal, where you meet other European teams. But I think this is a great spot and so far, I like California.”
... on the Fire's midfield cohesiveness
“Like you said, I think we did a great first half. We have worked on a lot of stuff, and like you say, connections in the last third of the pitch. We have great rotations with Maren [Haile-Selassie], Robin [Lod]. I think Anton [Salétros] is a really good contributor for the team to play forward and it's just easier for us to find good spots and be efficient. Yeah, it was a joy to play first half.”
... on splitting set piece duties with Salétros
“It’s great. I mean, it was the same with [midfielder André Franco] last season. You have a left foot and you have a right foot, that makes it more difficult for the opponent. So this is great.”
