Playoffs Clinched! What Next for the Chicago Fire?
Well, folks, we’ve officially reached the end of the tunnel.
The Chicago Fire are back in the light after clinching a first MLS Cup Playoffs berth since 2017.
It’s been a very strong season for the Men in Red, who’ve notched 15 wins and scored 66 goals in the process.
The team is unbeaten in its last four games and sits eighth in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining.
From the start of Gregg Berhalter’s tenure, the goal was simply to return to the postseason. Yet, with how good the Fire have been, especially recently, seeding and table position suddenly became a consideration too.
Chicago clinched a top-nine spot with a remarkable 5-3 victory over Inter Miami last Tuesday, but a 2-2 draw against Toronto on Saturday kept them in the wildcard spots. They could yet escape and enter the top seven – here’s how.
Guaranteed Home Game Possible
There’s a lot at stake when the Fire take on the New England Revolution on Decision Day (October 18th). The most attainable of the club’s post-clinch goals is guaranteeing a home playoff game. They can achieve this by staying in eighth (they would host the Wild Card Game) or by advancing directly to the best-of-three First Round.
A win over New England ensures a top 8 finish, regardless of other results. The Columbus Crew are lurking, just one point below the Men in Red, but they cannot make up that ground unless Chicago drops points. The Fire just defeated the Crew at home 10 days ago, and they’d fancy their chances in a rematch scenario. A matchup with Columbus on the road is also a possibility, provided the Crew leapfrog the Fire on Decision Day and Orlando City (currently seventh) earns at least a point from their last two games.
What’s the Ceiling?
So strong is the Eastern Conference in 2025 that Chicago would be a lock for a top-seven spot in any other year. They could still achieve that, even in this year’s stacked east. The simplest way for that to happen is as follows: the Fire defeat the Revs, while Nashville (two points clear of Chicago in sixth) loses its final game to Inter Miami. This would relegate the Tennessee side to the wild-card positions, while the Fire would slot into either sixth or seventh.
A remarkable surge into sixth place could happen with an additional condition. Orlando, sandwiched between Nashville and Chicago but still having two games left, needs to earn no more than one point. They next take on the Vancouver Whitecaps, before facing Toronto on Decision Day. The Whitecaps have been flying in the Western Conference, while Toronto has drawn its last eight games. In other words, it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing in the world for Chicago to steal the sixth seed.
What Matchups Do the Fire Want to Avoid?
Making the playoffs is an accomplishment, but the Fire will be hoping they can stay in the postseason longer than they have at any point in the last 16 years. As such, it’d be foolish not to consider what opponents the team might want to dodge in the postseason.
Top of that list is the Philadelphia Union. The newly crowned Supporters’ Shield winners would await the Fire if they were to stay in the wild card spots and win their play-in fixture. Having lost to Philadelphia twice this year (by a combined score of 5-0), Chicago would not fancy their chances against the top seeds in a best-of-three game series.
If the Fire were to place sixth or seventh, they’d evade the Union and take on either Cincinnati or Inter Miami. Cincy got the better of Chicago twice this year, but those games were much more even than the ones against Philadelphia.
As for Miami, loaded with talent as they are, they might be the most favorable First Round foe for the Men in Red. Fresh off that emphatic road win against Messi and company, the Fire would at the very least be an even match for the Florida side. Inter Miami’s early elimination in last year’s playoffs is also an important consideration.
Full Steam Ahead
For all the hypotheticals brought up in this article, one thing is set in stone: the Chicago Fire are a playoff team once again. At the end of the day, anything is possible in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
This team has talent, and they can put up a fight against any team in the league on a good day. The theories and possibilities are there for your theorizing pleasure.
Regardless, rest assured that there is no opponent too strong for the Men in Red in 2025.
Only time will tell whether it’ll be the triumphant return to the elite Chicago fans are dreaming of.
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Categorized:Fire