Chicago Fire Win Home Opener
Chicago Fire FC opened their MLS season with a decisive 3-0 win over CF Montréal, despite playing a man down for over 30 minutes. Hugo Cuypers converted a penalty and Xherdan Shaqiri scored in stoppage time to seal the victory for the home crowd.
The victory at Soldier Field marked the Fire's first win in a home opener with fans in attendance since 2017. A crowd of 20,872 was on hand to see the team secure the victory. The win also extended the Fire's unbeaten streak against Canadian opponents to six matches, dating back to 2024. The match wasn't without adversity. Left back Jonathan Dean received a straight red card in the 56th minute after a VAR review determined he had denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. Despite playing with ten men for over half an hour, Chicago's defense held strong, preventing Montréal from capitalizing on their man advantage. Jonathan Bamba, in his first appearance of the season, opened the scoring in the 27th minute. The other goals came late, with Hugo Cuypers converting a penalty in the 94th minute and Robin Lod adding a third in the 100th minute of play. This was Lod's first goal for the club. Statistically, Chicago dominated the match, outshooting Montréal 18-4, with an 11-2 advantage in shots on target. Goalkeeper Chris Brady made two saves to earn the shutout. This was the Fire's first win of the 2026 season, following a road loss to the Houston Dynamo. Looking ahead, the Chicago Fire will travel to face the Columbus Crew on March 7.
