MONTRÉAL, Québec – The Chicago Fire are rolling into fine form to wrap up the first section of the MLS season. They earned consecutive road wins by defeating CF Montréal at Stade Saputo on Saturday, 2-0.
An injury bug in midfield left the Fire with just one available central midfielder to start the game. Mauricio Pineda was that guy, and as a result of the absences, Joel Waterman started in central midfield in his first game back in Montréal since he was traded from there to Chicago last August. The Canadian center back occasionally featured as a midfielder during his time in Montréal, but has only played center back in Chicago.
The very defensive duo of Pineda and Waterman caused issues for the Fire in the opening stages. They both sat quite deep in midfield, just in front of the back line; Robin Lod, who lined up as the nominal #10, lingered just behind Hugo Cuypers, almost as a second striker, leaving an enormous gap in the midfield.
As a result, Montréal looked the more threatening team in the opening minutes. The Fire struggled to fuel chances through the center, with a disconnect between attack and defense. That’s why it came as no surprise that when the visitors took the lead against the run of play, it was created through the wings. In the 14th minute, Viktor Radojević fed the ball down the left side to Maren Haile-Selassie, who crossed it in the direction of Philip Zinckernagel. The Fire’s 2025 MVP, dropping in from the right wing, found the net in routine fashion, opening the scoring early.
After a long spell where Montréal had more of the ball but could not threaten the Fire’s penalty box, things finally opened up for them a bit in the final minutes of the half. Iván Jaime missed from a pair of back-to-back chances from inside the penalty box, and with one of the final kicks of the half, a high-power Wicky Carmona free kick blast was straight at Chris Brady and well saved.
In the 54th minute, a Montréal counterattack looked dangerous and was the culmination of a strong second half response. Prince Owusu failed to hit the target, but a disorganized back line was left reeling for a moment. In the 56th minute, the Fire almost created something from nothing when a Brady drop ball nearly found Cuypers wide open over the top, but there was just too much power on the pass.
Shortly after, Brady was forced into two huge saves to preserve the shutout. A low-driven Noah Streit shot was awkwardly turned away for a corner, and from the ensuing kick, Owusu forced a great save. Brayan Vera also had an effort within a minute.
Like in the first half, however, the momentum came to a sudden halt. Zinckernagel found Cuypers, wide open in the penalty box, and the Belgian did what he has been doing all season to double the advantage. It was his tenth consecutive game with a goal to open 2026, meaning he’s scored in every single game he’s played, and he continues to lead MLS in goals with 13.
It’s the Fire’s second consecutive shutout win in Montréal, having prevailed 2-0 in this fixture last July. The win also reflects a third straight victory over l’Impact after a big win at Soldier Field earlier this season. For the moment, the result pushes the Fire to 3rd in the East, just two points behind Inter Miami.
