The Fire went to get their first win in the Jake Peters Derby of the Gregg Berhalter era. The night started well for the Fire, but the team were unable to hold on to a two goal cushion that extended into the final half hour of the match, with a needless penalty and an own goal causing the team to settle for a 3-3 draw that, by the end, felt like a point the Fire were lucky to have just as much as it felt like two points dropped.
As has been the case in virtually all of the Fire’s games so far this season, Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter had to revamp his lineup because normal starters were unavailable. Although Hugo Cuypers was back in the starting XI after injuries kept him out the past two weeks, Berhalter was able to revert to to his preferred 4-3-3 formation, but with asterisks: winger Jonathan Bamba back in his native France due to a personal issue and Leo Barroso was out with an injury.
Bamba’s absence gave Maren Haile-Selassie third start in a row and sixth start of the year. Unlike the previous two weeks, however, the versatile Swiss player was back in his preferred position on the wing. Jonathan Dean slotted in for Barroso for his fourth start of the season.
FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan was also without usual starters: Team-leading goalscorer Kévin Denkey was suspended for the match after receiving two yellow cards last week, the fourth consecutive league game where Cincinnati had a player sent off. Starting center back Matt Miazga and midfielder Obinna Nwobodo were also out for the hosts due to injury. With Denkey out, former Fire player Tom Barlow – presently Cincinnati’s second-leading scorer across all competitions – was given his fourth start of the year.
From kickoff, the Fire were the protagonists, peppering Naperville native Roman Celentano’s net with eight shots in the opening 15 minutes. Cincinnati had pressure in spurts, however, and their only shot of the opening half hour was a good one, when Evander forced a quick reaction from Chris Brady.
Eventually, though, the Fire’s pressure broke through. In the 26th minute, Philip Zinckernagel had a savvy long-distance pass to Hugo Cuypers who unleashed it with power past Celentao. The goal was checked for offside, but Cincinnati center back Miles Robinson’s back foot kept the Fire striker on and the strike counted for his fifth goal in his fifth start on the year for the Fire.
The next mark would also be a fifth goal, but it wouldn’t be for the Fire: Off a ball from Evander, Cincinnati’s talented – if sometimes mercurial – playmaker that had pulled the Fire defenders, including Brady out of position, Tom Barlow found himself in the box with an empty look on net and made no mistake.
With the game now tied at 1-1, Cincinnati found new life, but despite pressure, the next goal was the Fire’s. Deep in first-half stoppage time, the Fire worked the ball into the box and Hugo Cuypers was toppled by Miles Robinson, resulting in a penalty call. After a check – presumably for a possible foul along the way – Cuypers ceded the spot to Zinckernagel, who added a goal to his earlier assist.
On the restart, the Fire picked up right where they left off. In the 48th minute, Andrew Gutman lobbed the ball into Cincinnati’s box. Robinson headed it away but not out, and Cuypers volleyed it into Celentano’s net, completing a brace for the Fire – but it likely would have given the Belgian his first MLS hat trick had he taken the penalty at the end of the half.
Regardless, the play gave Cuypers his sixth goal in his fifth appearance of the year and the Fire a two goal lead in the second half.
As the second frame, it was the hosts who would pepper the net with shots, but the Fire’s goal held through the 78th minute, when Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who has been so strong for the Fire, took out Cincinnati’s Gerardo Valenzuela just as he entered the box. Evander, who had yet to tally for FC Cincinnati in 2026 after an 18 goal campaign last year, made no mistake from the spot and brought the home team to within a goal with just over 10 minutes plus stoppage to go.
The move happened shortly after Berhalter pulled Zinckernagel to add on Joel Waterman, giving the team a formation shift to favor preserving the two goal lead the Fire no longer had.
Seven minutes later, the Fire’s night got worse, as Djé D'Avilla, trying to defend a dangerous ball into the box, deflected it into his own net with Brady well out of position.
The own goal equalized the match with five minutes plus a lengthy stoppage to go, just as Cincinnati, no strangers to finding wins in close games over the past few seasons, were beginning to run rampant in their home stadium.
Deep in second half stoppage time, Valenzuela, who had already been so impactful for the bench for Cincinnati, had a great chance on the Fire's net but Brady was able to come up with an even better save.
The draw saw the Fire drop to 4th in the East with 14 points and a record of 4W-2D-2L after eight games.
The Fire’s next game is Saturday, when they host a reeling Sporting Kansas City side that’s lost their past five games across all competitions. The game will bring familiar faces Justin Reynolds, a former Fire homegrown, as well as Raphaël Wicky, who coached the team in 2020 and 2021, back to Soldier Field for the first time since each left the club. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 PM CT.
