The Chicago Fire wrapped up the first leg of their preseason with a 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City, coming on the heels of a 4-1 win over Nashville SC on Tuesday. With two victories in their first two meetups against an opponent in 2026, the Fire are now on their way back to Chicago, where the temperatures are about 80ºF colder than what the team left behind in West Palm Beach.

The squad – now including offseason signing Mbekezeli Mbokazi, freshly arrived from South Africa – will train in Chicago ahead of their departure for the Coachella Valley Invitational on February 5th.

Here’s what the team experienced in South Florida, in their own words.

After the 4-1 win against Nashville SC on January 20th

Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter

… on the new members of the squad facing another team for the first time

“It was good. The guys have been working hard. And for us, it was really about how we carry over the work now to a game and how do we perform in this game. And I think for the first time guys being together, we did reasonably well.”

“You can train all you want, but when you play against an opponent, when you face off against another team, is when the intensity rises and you see that. They also gain the fitness and the understanding about how we want to play and how we want to do things.”

… on the team’s goals in this first leg of preseason

“You know, it's really about trying to get fit, trying to stay healthy, trying to learn the concepts and trying to keep getting better each and every day. And when I see the guys' attitude and the collectiveness of the group, we're on the right track. 

Goalkeeper Chris Brady

… on being back in action 

“Yeah, it felt great to get out there, shake some of the rust off, and then most importantly to build the chemistry with the guys who are new coming into our style of play. So, yeah, it was definitely good. It's a step in the right direction, and it's a great first building block.” 

… on the significance of earning a victory 

“Yeah, like I said, it's a great step in the right direction. Sets the bar high for the rest of the games in preseason, and then obviously starting the season as well. So I think we've played to our standard today, but those only increase as we go along. And yeah, it's the first of the first, so happy to start this way.”

… on what the team gets from preseason matchups against other teams

“Yeah, it helps us really test our application of the values and the tactics and all those things we're learning on the practice field. It helps us understand how well we can apply them in in-game type situations. So for us, it's important to apply those things, not only on the practice field, but on the game field, just to see how well we gel as a team and if the concepts are really sticking.”

Midfielder Anton Salétros

… on his first goal with the team

“It's always nice to score, even if it's a training game. It's always nice to score your first goal for the Club. So we keep going, we keep getting better day by day. So yeah, it's nice.”

 …on what the victory means

“I think it's good. It's always good to win, that's why we're here. Even if it's a training game, we want to compete, we want to win. Every time we have the chance to get better, we will take that opportunity. So it's a great start and we just need to keep building on that.” 

… on what it means playing matches against opponents in preseason

“Everything. First and foremost, fitness-wise, you’ve got to be fit to play soccer so yeah. And the chemistry will get there as well, so it's great to have an early preseason game and we can build from that.”

After the 1-0 win against Sporting Kansas City on January 24th

Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter

… on the team’s experience in Florida being capped with a victory

“I think it's a good ending to a great camp. The guys have been working extremely hard and it's nice to finish showing the progress throughout the week. The pressure was good, some of the ball movement was good, creating chances. So overall, happy with the game. And now, it's about phase two in preseason.”

…. on what he saw from his squad over the past week

“The intensity is high. The level of the group is high. We have a lot of competition for spots. We purposely mix the lineups in all the games and you don't see a drop off between the teams so for us, it's a good sign.” 

…on how these games help “We want to put ourselves in position to compete to win every game. And that's the mentality of the group. So you can see that right away. And then we need depth and we need to keep getting better. I think if we can do those things, we'll be fine.”

Midfielder Chris Mueller

… on returning to the field and playing after his experience in 2025

“I think for all of us it's great just to get back out here and start getting that camaraderie back, that team chemistry. It's great to see a lot of familiar faces, some new ones as well. But it's great to be out here. We love to play; it's what we've been itching for all off season, so it's great to get back, great to get working. 

“For me personally, obviously a big milestone for me to be out here and just getting real minutes in again. Really grateful for that and just thankful to be out here.”

… on the progress the team has made in a year

“I think there's a lot of positives to be taken away, honestly. I think we're strides ahead of where we were coming into preseason last year. And I think, just with the new additions that we've made, with the players that we've kept and just how we already have a little bit of a clear identity in terms of what we were building last season, I think that right now it seems like we're a few steps ahead and and we're being really proactive about that.”

…on the mentality of the group and expectations for this season“

Yeah, I think just that we feel like we're real contenders. You know, we can go out, we could beat anybody anywhere, anytime. So, I think that that in and of itself, that belief that comes within the group, is the most positive thing that we could take away. And I think that just little results, even if it's preseason, it feels good to get that confidence going to start to build that belief within the team that we could find ways to win, that we can score goals, we can keep clean sheets. So yeah, we're all really thrilled.”