Chicago Fire FC vs Columbus Crew SC, MLS 2026 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Chicago Fire FC vs Columbus Crew SC — MLS at Soldier Field.
- Chicago Fire FC 14 games · 26 pts (2026/26)
- Columbus Crew SC 15 games · 16 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Fotis Bazakos
- Referee Peter Manikowski
- Referee Edvin Jurisevic
- Referee Jon Freemon
- Referee Ian McKay
7 games this season
🟨 2.4/game
⚽ 11.6 goals/game
🟥 1 total
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 14 | 33 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 15 | 31 |
| 3 | Chicago Fire FC | 14 | 26 |
| 4 | New England Revolution | 14 | 25 |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 15 | 22 |
| 6 | Charlotte FC | 15 | 21 |
| 7 | FC Cincinnati | 15 | 20 |
| 8 | New York City FC | 15 | 19 |
| 9 | D.C. United SC | 15 | 18 |
| 10 | Columbus Crew SC | 15 | 16 |
| 11 | Toronto FC | 14 | 14 |
| 12 | Montreal Impact FC | 14 | 14 |
| 13 | Orlando City SC | 15 | 14 |
| 14 | Atlanta United FC | 14 | 11 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Union | 15 | 7 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 14 | 32 |
| 17 | San Jose Earthquakes | 15 | 32 |
| 18 | Real Salt Lake | 14 | 26 |
| 19 | FC Dallas | 15 | 25 |
| 20 | Los Angeles FC | 15 | 24 |
| 21 | Seattle Sounders FC | 13 | 24 |
| 22 | Houston Dynamo | 14 | 22 |
| 23 | Minnesota United FC | 15 | 22 |
| 24 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 15 | 20 |
| 25 | San Diego FC | 15 | 17 |
| 26 | Colorado Rapids SC | 15 | 16 |
| 27 | St. Louis City | 14 | 16 |
| 28 | Portland Timbers | 14 | 14 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 15 | 14 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 14 | 11 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep | Columbus Crew SC | H | 2–2 | D |
| 06 Sep | New England Revolution | H | 1–2 | L |
| 02 Sep | FC Cincinnati | A | 0–0 | D |
| 29 Aug | New York City FC | A | 1–3 | L |
| 25 Aug | FC Cincinnati | H | 3–0 | W |
| 20 Aug | Columbus Crew SC | A | 0–3 | L |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep | Chicago Fire FC | A | 2–2 | D |
| 06 Sep | FC Cincinnati | H | 3–0 | W |
| 02 Sep | Philadelphia Union | H | 1–0 | W |
| 29 Aug | FC Cincinnati | A | 0–0 | D |
| 24 Aug | New York City FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 20 Aug | Chicago Fire FC | H | 3–0 | W |
Season Stats
| Chicago Fire FC | Columbus Crew SC | |
|---|---|---|
| #3 | Position | #10 |
| 26 | Points | 16 |
| 14 | Played | 15 |
| 8 / 2 / 4 | W / D / L | 4 / 4 / 7 |
| 27 | Scored | 21 |
| 16 | Conceded | 23 |
| +11 | GD | -2 |
| 1.86 | PPG | 1.07 |
| 57% | Win % | 27% |
Key Stats
47%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (19 games)
H2H (19 games)
53%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
50%
Clean Sheets
Chicago Fire FC this season
Chicago Fire FC this season
27%
Clean Sheets
Columbus Crew SC this season
Columbus Crew SC this season
Chicago Fire FC are 3rd (26 pts). Columbus Crew SC are 10th (16 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Chicago Fire FC
0-15
3/–
16-30
4/1
31-45
1/4
46-60
2/1
61-75
4/–
76+
2/3
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Columbus Crew SC
0-15
2/3
16-30
2/1
31-45
2/1
46-60
3/2
61-75
1/2
76+
1/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Events
Match Events
- 0' KICK OFF: Chicago Fire FC gets underway.
- 5' The home supporters are growing impatient. Chicago Fire FC must find a spark to ignite this game.
- 10' Supporters expect more eagerness from Gaston Gimenez, as he is very good at scoring at Soldier Field with 2 goals in the last 2 games.
- 11' Djordje Mihailovic makes no mistake. The score reads 1-0 and Chicago Fire FC are in front.
- 14' Clinical. Composed. Brilliant. Robert Beric makes it 2-0.
- 19' It is a cagey affair so far. Chicago Fire FC in their trying to find a way past Columbus Crew SC's compact .
- 22' The supporters are chanting for Elliot Collier. He replaces Djordje Mihailovic on 22 minute.
- 27' A moment of madness from Alvaro Medran on 27 minutes earns him a Yellow card. Chicago Fire FC will be frustrated.
- 32' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Chicago Fire FC side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 34' Miguel Navarro was booked on 34.
- 37' It’s gonna be a Yellow card for Jonathan Mensah.
- 42' Columbus Crew SC has dominated the recent head-to-head record, winning 0 of the last 1 meetings.
- 46' A tactical swap from Chicago Fire FC — Jonathan Bornstein on, Miguel Navarro off on 46 minutes.
- 51' Fanendo Adi has certainly something to prove this evening. He made 15 appearances with only 0 goals this season.
- 56' The referee does not hesitate — a Yellow card for Fabian Herbers on 56 minutes.
- 61' Gyasi Zardes has been one of the livelier players on the pitch with 0 goals to his name this season.
- 62' It is a substitution in Chicago Fire FC team. Fabian Herbers is replaced by Przemyslaw Frankowski on 62 minute.
- 64' The supporters are chanting for Ema Boateng. He replaces Luis Diaz on 64 minute.
- 68' Magnificent from Gyasi Zardes! That is 95 goals in 284 appearances — and it could not have come at a better time.
- 70' It’s gonna be a Yellow card for Harrison Afful.
- 71' Francisco Calvo picks up a Yellow card and will need to be extremely careful for the remainder of this match.
- 73' Jonathan Bornstein catches the referee's attention in entirely the wrong way. Yellow card on 73.
- 75' Derrick Etienne makes way for Youness Mokhtar at the 75 minute mark. A tactical switch from Columbus Crew SC.
- 79' Robert Beric makes way for C.J. Sapong at the 79 minute mark. A tactical switch from Chicago Fire FC.
- 81' Another substitution for Columbus Crew SC to replace Pedro Santos by Fanendo Adi on 81 minute.
- 86' Columbus Crew SC looks like a favorite considering 0 games won in last 1 matches with its main striker scoring 0 goals.
- 88' What composure from Gyasi Zardes! The USA international strokes it home. 2-2.
- It finishes all square. Chicago Fire FC and Columbus Crew SC share the spoils 2-2.
Lineups
Chicago Fire FC Lineups
Starting XI
-
27
Robert Beric ↓ C.J. Sapong 79'
- 10
- 21
- 5
- 14
- 1
- 7
- 30
- 2
- 6
- 22
Bench
- 24
-
9
C.J. Sapong ↑ 79'
-
11
Przemyslaw Frankowski ↑ 62'
- 13
- 16
- 20
-
28
Elliot Collier ↑ 22'
-
3
Jonathan Bornstein ↑ 46'
- 40
Coach
Raphaël Wicky
Columbus Crew SC Lineups
Starting XI
- 1
- 22
- 19
- 4
- 25
- 11
-
7
Pedro Santos ↓ Fanendo Adi 81'
- 8
- 3
- 26
-
12
Luis Diaz ↓ Ema Boateng 64'
Bench
-
20
Ema Boateng ↑ 64'
- 13
- 2
- 16
-
9
Fanendo Adi ↑ 81'
- 30
-
34
Youness Mokhtar ↑ 75'
- 18
- 21
Coach
Caleb Porter
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Gyasi Zardes | 8 |
| Diego Rossi | 3 |
| Cucho Hernandez | 3 |
| Derrick Etienne | 3 |
| Jacen Russell-Rowe | 3 |
| Lucas Zelarayan | 2 |
| Miguel Berry | 2 |
| Carlos Teran | 2 |
Head to Head
Chicago Fire FC Form
Columbus Crew SC Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
2 / 4
1.76
Chicago Fire FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.22
Columbus Crew SC xG
I would bet for:
Chicago Fire FC or Columbus Crew SC 73% + Both teams to score 58%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 2.98
Actual: Yes — both scored
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 93% |
|
7% |
| ± 1.5 | 80% |
|
20% |
| ± 2.5 | 56% |
|
44% |
| ± 3.5 | 35% |
|
65% |
| ± 4.5 | 19% |
|
81% |
Double Chance
Chicago Fire FC or Draw
72%
Draw or Columbus Crew SC
55%
Chicago Fire FC or Columbus Crew SC
73%
Half-Time Result
✗ WrongActual: Chicago Fire FC win at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
11.8%
2 – 1
9.2%
1 – 0
8.2%
2 – 0
7.8%
0 – 0
6.8%
1 – 2
6.4%
2 – 2
Actual
3 – 1
5.4%
0 – 1
5.4%
3 – 0
4.5%
0 – 2
3.8%
3 – 2
3.4%
Asian Handicap — Chicago Fire FC
| Handicap | Chicago Fire FC covers | Push | Columbus Crew SC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 12% | — | 88% |
| -2 | 12% | 15% | 73% |
| -1.5 | 27% | — | 73% |
| -1 | 27% | 22% | 51% |
| -0.5 | 49% | — | 51% |
| +0.5 | 75% | — | 25% |
| +1 | 75% | 15% | 11% |
| +1.5 | 89% | — | 11% |
| +2 | 89% | 7% | 4% |
| +2.5 | 96% | — | 4% |
Clean Sheet
Chicago Fire FC keeps clean sheet
30%
✓
Columbus Crew SC keeps clean sheet
18%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.