Chicago Fire Still Searching for First Win in Coachella Valley
The first week of the Coachella Valley Invitational yielded no victories for Chicago Fire FC.
Gregg Berhalter’s side were first blanked by LAFC 1-0 on Wednesday. The Men in Red then played out a scoreless draw against the Portland Timbers on Saturday.
A total of 22 players earned minutes across the two matches, including new Designated Player, Jonathan Bamba.
Attacking Troubles
PHOTO: Jeff Swinger/Imagn Images
As the results suggest, Chicago failed to score a single goal in 180 minutes of play. While this would normally be cause of concern, it’s important to put things into perspective. Hugo Cuypers, last year’s record signing who scored more goals than any other Fire player in 2024, did not feature in either match. Instead, sporadic starter Tom Barlow has been the no. 9 of choice in California so far.
Additionally, while the four-man attacking formation hasn’t changed from last season, the players in it have. Philip Zinckernagel recently joined from Club Brugge and played in both games this week. Bamba, whose blockbuster transfer from Celta Vigo was announced two weeks ago, made his debut against Portland. Omari Glasgow, a long-time Chicago Fire II standout, is a first-team player this year and has been thrust into the action at the CVI.
In other words, though Chicago has had low attacking return in preseason so far (two goals in four games), there is no need for panic. There was a marked improvement in the team’s creative output from the match against LAFC to the clash with the Timbers. Finishing, a persistent issue in 2024, continues to present a problem, but Berhalter’s staff still have two weeks to address it.
Impressive Defending
In preseason, it’s especially important to highlight the positives. For a team that was on the receiving end of 62 goals in MLS play last year, conceding just once from open play in four friendly clashes is a massive improvement. At Coachella Valley, the only goal in the Fire’s net has come from an LAFC penalty converted by Denis Bouanga.
A huge amount of credit must be given to the goalkeeping squad as a collective. Jeff Gal played 120 minutes in goal this week and made a host of spectacular saves. While he was responsible for giving away the penalty against LAFC, Gal will be satisfied with his performance. He made way for 17-year-old Patrick Los for the last 15 minutes of that game. The youngster made the most of his chance, producing an acrobatic double save at one point.
Last year’s starting goalkeeper, Chris Brady, got the nod for the first half of the match against the Timbers. While Brady was characteristically solid, he will not always be available. The depth provided by Gal and Los will be indispensable to Chicago’s success in 2025.
Beyond the goalkeeping, the Fire’s back line has also shown great promise. Carlos Teran, who was largely a rotation player last year, has started twice at the CVI so far and held his own. MLS journeyman Omar Gonzalez, who completed his move to Chicago on Friday, provided a glimpse into his veteran quality this week as well.
Two More Opportunities
The Fire’s preseason slate comes to a close with two final matches at the Coachella Valley Invitational.
On Wednesday, the Men in Red face the San Jose Earthquakes, before taking on the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday.
The latter match, which features the defending MLS Cup champions, will be a particularly stern test for Berhalter’s new-look squad.
Friendly match results do not provide a necessarily accurate representation of the season to come.
Nonetheless, Fire fans will be eager to see the club end preseason on a high.
It seems to be an exciting year ahead for a club that has struggled so much in recent years.
Leaving California with two wins would send quite the message to the league.
PHOTO: Jeff Swinger/Imagn Images
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