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2025 may have been a bridge year for the Chicago Fire under new Head Coach Gregg Berhalter, but it was still one of the most unforgettable seasons in recent memory. The Fire finally snapped their eight-year playoff drought and secured their first postseason win since 2009, and did so in style, turning up the heat with a series of impressive results down the stretch.
MIR97 Media readers and followers voted this fall on their picks for which Fire players should get special award recognition to end the year. Here are the results.
Most Valuable Player: Philip Zinckernagel
It should come as no surprise that the best statistical season in club history was enough to carry Zinckernagel to a team MVP award. The Danish winger, who arrived in January to very little fanfare, put up an attacking output unrivaled by any Fire player ever, notching an astonishing 15 goals and 15 assists in the regular season. He also became the first Fire player to record double-digit goals and assists in the same MLS campaign.
Whether or not this level of production is sustainable in years to come is difficult to say; Zinckernagel exceeded his expected goals at a remarkable rate, meaning he was either incredibly lucky or one of the most clinical players the league has ever seen (though more than likely, somewhere in between). Nonetheless, the underlying numbers should not take away from what was a dream debut season in MLS, and one that already writes Zinckernagel’s name into the Chicago Fire history books.
Zinckernagel won the MVP voting with an overwhelming 90.3% of the vote. No other candidate broke the 5% threshold.
Most Valuable Defensive Player: Jack Elliott
It’s a great credit to Berhalter’s talent identification and work as a sporting director that both the MVP and Defensive MVP were players he brought in last offseason. Elliott was Berhalter’s MLS Free Agency priority, and the Englishman repaid that faith, stepping up as a leader on the back line for the entire season.
Though his 2025 season wasn’t perfect and had some ups and downs, there are several accomplishments that stand out for Elliott. For one, he became the team’s week in, week out captain once Kellyn Acosta faded out of the picture during the spring. He also emerged as a key contributor on both sides of the ball when the Fire switched to a back five in the final weeks of the season. Lastly, he was undoubtedly the Fire’s playoff MVP, proving a dominant force in both losses to the Philadelphia Union (despite missing his kick in the Game One shootout).
Elliott won this vote by a clean majority, snapping up 55.1%. Chris Brady and Andrew Gutman made up most of the rest of the count.
Young Player of the Year: Chris Brady
In the most tightly-contested of all the awards, Brady comes away with Young Player of the Year once again. The 21-year-old was a reliable presence on the Fire’s back line, making 28 starts in the regular season. Though the Fire’s defense was a point of weakness for most of the season, Brady was consistently a bright spot, recording a 64.6% save percentage and keeping six clean sheets.
Additionally, it was an exciting year for Brady as he broke into the U.S. Men’s National Team for the first time. He was a third goalkeeper at the CONCACAF Gold Cup last summer, and was called back in for camp in October. Quite how important he is to the team was proved in the playoffs by how they performed without him – when backup Jeff Gal stepped in against Philadelphia in Game 2, the Fire imploded, conceding three incredibly preventable goals before halftime.
Brady finished with the most votes, getting 41.6% of the tally. Brian Gutiérrez, Djé D’Avilla, and Sergio Oregel also got decent shares of the rest of it.
Newcomer of the Year: Philip Zinckernagel
Like the MVP award, it is a foregone conclusion that Zinckernagel is the Newcomer of the Year. In addition to being the team’s best attacking player for most of the season, Zinckernagel was an MLS All-Star over the summer and was among the three finalists for league newcomer of the year.
With a potentially upgraded supporting cast around him, Zinckernagel will hope he can maintain something resembling that high level of production. The other 2025 additions, like André Franco and Jonathan Bamba, will also aim to contribute at a higher level with an extra year of MLS and Fire experience.
Zinckernagel easily won the newcomer of the year voting, earning 77% of the vote. Jack Elliott and André Franco each racked up around 10%.
Fire II Player of the Year: Jason Shokalook
It was a fascinating season for Fire II, who put up frankly ridiculous numbers for large portions of the summer. There were half a dozen players who could have deserved this award, but Jason Shokalook came out on top among them, being rewarded for his 21 goals and MLS Next Pro Golden Boot award.
Additionally, Shokalook trained with the first team on several occasions and made his MLS debut against D.C. United on June 7th. He managed to get his first MLS assist as well, providing the key pass for Brian Gutiérrez to score the 7th goal in a 7-1 win. Shokalook’s 2025 performances, which marked an impressive turnaround from a barren 2024, earned him a first team contract for 2026.
Shokalook earned 51% of the vote, making it the second most evenly contested of the awards. Now-traded Justin Reynolds finished second, with 30%, while Jean Balpha Diouf, Sam Williams, and Claudio Cassano also received votes.
Academy Player of the Year: Christopher Cupps
The Academy Player of the Year award is given to a player who is under the age of 18 and comes from the Fire’s academy; it was quite obvious who would win this one, given Cupps’ rapid first team breakthrough and performances for both the first and second teams, which he capped off by captaining the United States at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the fall.
Cupps started 2025 as an academy player committed to the University of Notre Dame, finished a remarkable preseason as a first team player, and had made his MLS debut by the end of April. Despite a major injury in the summer than kept him out for several months, he still managed four MLS appearances, a U.S. Open Cup start, and 10 MLS Next Pro matches.
Cupps came away with 82.7% of the vote. Academy star Robert Turdean, who debuted with Fire II in the fall, finished in a distant second with 7%. Chase Nagle also deservedly got several votes, totalling to 6%. Future prospects David Molenda and Brody Williams also earned votes.
Goal of the Year: Brian Gutiérrez vs. Inter Miami (9/30)
Though he has since left the club, Brian Gutiérrez deservedly takes home the goal of the year award. His wonder-strike in the final minutes of the 5-3 win over Inter Miami was one of the best goals in MLS this year, let alone for just the Fire. The screamer came a few minutes after Justin Reynolds’ shock goal gave the Fire a shock lead, and put the team’s qualification for the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017 beyond all doubt.
Despite competing against nine other nominees, Guti’s goal still earned more than 50% of the vote. Jack Elliott’s long-range playoff blast against the Philadelphia Union finished second, accumulating 22%, with Andrew Gutman’s March goal against Toronto FC finishing third. Beyond that, a series of goals, many scored by Philip Zinckernagel, also earned votes.
Game of the Year: Inter Miami 3, Chicago Fire 5
There were several thrilling Fire performances in 2025, including their first postseason win since 2009, but it was that same aforementioned game in which they secured qualification that took the cake here. The Fire clinched their playoff berth in the most ridiculous way possible, shocking a fully-loaded, Lionel Messi-backed Inter Miami team 5-3 in Fort Lauderdale after an enthralling, back-and-forth goal-fest loaded with all types of unexpected twists and turns. Miami went on to win MLS Cup two months later.
The Miami game earned 64% of the vote. 17% of the vote went to the 3-1 Wild Card win over Orlando City, while a 7-1 regular season win over D.C. United finished third.
