The Chicago Fire have hired Mike Matkovich as the new head coach of Chicago Fire II, with the club announcing the move this afternoon. Matkovich succeeds Ludovic Taillandier, who parted was with the club last month. “Over the past two years, Mike has been an integral part of our efforts
Tasked with overhauling a roster that finished 28th out of 29 teams in MLS, it would have been understandable if Gregg Berhalter, Gregg Broughton and the team’s sporting department focused their attention during MLS’s short offseason on reworking the first team, leaving Fire II, the team’s reserve
The Chicago Fire announced a number of additional changes as the team continues to rebuild under Director of Football Gregg Berhalter and Sporting Director Gregg Broughton. The moves give the new front office further flexibility and also additional gaps to fill with just 12 weeks until the start of the
Sebastian Pelzer has left the Chicago Fire after five seasons, the club announced this morning. The 44-year-old is moving to sister club FC Lugano to become its Chief Sports Officer. “I’m incredibly grateful for my time with the Chicago Fire,” Pelzer said. “I wish the Fire all the best
The NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament kicks off tomorrow, and several players connected to the Chicago Fire will be among those vying for the crown. 2024 was a strong season for players the Fire Academy sent off to college, and several of them will play big roles in the tournament
The USMNT’s November window came to a close on a rainy Monday night in St. Louis, bringing Mauricio Pochettino’s first run of games as head coach to an end. A 4-2 win over Jamaica secured a spot in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals, and the main national team
The Chicago Fire announced this morning that it has parted ways with second team head coach Ludovic Taillandier. The French head coach had led Chicago Fire II for the club’s first three seasons in MLS Next Pro. “As we begin to focus on next season and our long-term objectives,
The Fire announced that Gregg Broughton, most recently director of football for the Blackburn Rovers in England, has been brought on as sporting director. The move is the second front office hire for the team in less than a week after announcing Michael Stephens’s appointment as head of recruitment
The Chicago Fire announced several changes to the team's staff this morning, the most notable of which is the addition of Michael Stephens as head of recruitment. Assistant coaches Paulo Nagamura and Carlos García Badías both left the club after one season. Stephens, 35, joins the club immediately
Few American soccer players have had the cultural impact of Alexi Lalas throughout American soccer's young history. Now an analyst for Fox Sports, Lalas continues to be one of the most prominent voices in the U.S. Soccer media landscape. We spoke with Alexi this week to discuss
Chicago Fire II forward David Poreba has been named MLS Next Pro's Most Valuable Player, the league announced this afternoon. Poreba led Fire II with 18 regular season goals before scoring twice in the postseason run to the Eastern Conference semifinals – his free-scoring year earned him league Golden
Fire II hosted their second-ever home playoff game at SeatGeek looking to advance to their first-ever Eastern Conference final in the team’s third season as they hosted Crew 2. The team battled, but ultimately fell short, conceding a 3-2 decision to Columbus in a match that saw the Ohio
For the second time in their short history, Fire II are hosting a playoff game. This time, they face the Columbus Crew 2, marking the first time that the reserve sides of the traditional rivals will face each other in a knockout competition in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The match
After years of being one of the highest-spending teams in MLS under owner Joe Mansueto, the Chicago Fire have now dropped to 13th in the spending charts. The departure of Xherdan Shaqiri and his $8.2 million salary over the summer saw the team drop considerably, down from third in
The Chicago Fire have announced their roster decisions for the end of the 2024 season, with Fabian Herbers and Rafa Czichos among the headline names leaving the club this offseason. Ariel Lassiter, Allan Arigoni, and Spencer Richey are also confirmed departures, while Jonathan Dean and Jeff Gal both see their
For the first time in 15 years, a Chicago Fire team has won a playoff game. The victory came at Bridgeview this afternoon as Chicago Fire II advanced to the MLS Next Pro Eastern Conference semifinals with a shootout win over Orlando City B. New head coach Gregg Berhalter and