RECAP: Chicago Fire Pick Up a Point in Intense Home Opener vs. D.C. United, 2-2
The Chicago Fire’s 2025 home opener was… eventful.
For starters, the club had several injuries and suspensions coming into the match.
What followed was a spectacle. In a back-and-forth game with every type of twist imaginable, the Fire drew 2-2 with DC United at Soldier Field.
Despite there being many marked improvements, there’s undoubtedly a sense of dissatisfaction with the outcome.
A Back-and-Forth First 45
It didn’t take long for DC United to open the scoring. The visitors broke down the left wing through Gabriel Pirani, who exploited Jonathan Dean’s poor positioning and found Christian Benteke alone in the box. The striker calmly slotted a finish past Chris Brady to make it 1-0 inside three minutes.
A persistent problem throughout the first half was the Fire’s play out the back. The defense struggled to string passes together, just as they did last week. Dean was regularly caught out on the flank. Sam Rogers, a last-minute addition to the starting XI in place of the injured Carlos Teran, struggled as well.
Luckily for the Men in Red, the attack was up to the task of playing catch-up. Hugo Cuypers, having rattled the crossbar with a header just minutes earlier, got his goal at the half-hour mark. Philip Zinckernagel delivered a dangerous cross from a corner kick before Jack Elliott flicked the ball into the path of Cuypers, who headed it into the back of the net.
After the equalizer, the instability at the back persisted for Chicago. Defensive third giveaways by the defenders forced Brady into damage control several times. Benteke came close to notching a brace, hitting the inside of the post before the danger was cleared by Andrew Gutman.
Drama Ensues in the Second Half
PHOTO: Mike Dinovo/Imagn Images
The Fire looked bright after the break. They controlled the possession and appeared far more confident on the ball. Dean made a darting run into the final third and got on the end of a Gutman ball in the 56th minute, but his finish was lackluster.
Lightning struck for the second time in the 70th minute. Once again, Zinckernagel knocked in a corner from the left, Elliot tipped the ball to the back post, and Cuypers smashed it home to make it 2-1. The Belgian came into the match having played zero minutes in preseason and just 45 in the season opener.
Brady’s goalkeeping kept the visitors at bay in the final minutes of the game. In the 80th minute, Dominique Badji had an open, point-blank header expertly denied by the 20-year-old. Seven minutes later, Benteke’s curling finish was denied, thanks to another show-stopping save from Brady.
The Men in Red caught a lucky break in the first minute of stoppage time. After Rogers handled the ball in the box, a penalty was awarded to the visitors. Benteke proceeded to send his spot-kick soaring over the bar, capping off an unfortunate performance. The raucous crowd of 20,372 at Soldier Field breathed a collective sigh of relief, but the relief was short-lived.
In the 6th minute of stoppage time, with the last touch of the match, DC United substitute Jacob Murrell scored an acrobatic bicycle kick from just inside the box. The miraculous strike, an early-season contender for goal of the year, ensured that the points would be shared.
Post-Match Thoughts
There was a clear pattern of disappointment amongst the team following the game.
“We could’ve done much better towards the end of the game, just being calm and defending crosses,” lamented head coach Gregg Berhalter. “2-2 is a just result after that missed penalty.”
“Obviously, we are disappointed,” Jack Elliot said of the team’s feelings post-match. “It feels more like a loss than anything.” Despite the discouraging outcome, Elliot is optimistic about where the team is headed. “We all know the system, we all know each other, and I think we’re good enough players to be able to play interchangeably.”
Hugo Cuypers, the Fire’s two-goal hero, was satisfied with his fitness trajectory following the match.
“I think I’m almost there,” Cuypers said.
“Today, I felt fine but couldn’t take any risks.”
Chris Brady, whose fine performance effectively earned the Fire a point, spoke about the team’s build-up play.
“It’s a work in progress,” Brady remarked.
“Early in the game, it took a lot for us to get acclimated to the speed and the conditions.”
Philip Zinckernagel recognized the positives from today’s match, saying:
“Thought coming back after going down so early, it was good mentality from the team. We just have to get better and better.”
All in all, the positive indicators are aplenty. This is a team that truly is improving every week and doing rather well given its injury crisis.
The results aren’t quite coming yet, but a point from the home opener will be valuable nonetheless.
PHOTO: Mike Dinovo/Imagn Images
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