Chicago Fire FC vs Columbus Crew SC, MLS 2021 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)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug | Columbus Crew SC | H | 1–0 | W |
| 08 Aug | New York Red Bulls | H | 2–1 | W |
| 05 Aug | New York City FC | H | 0–0 | D |
| 01 Aug | Philadelphia Union | A | 1–1 | D |
| 25 Jul | Toronto FC | H | 1–2 | L |
| 22 Jul | D.C. United SC | H | 2–2 | D |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Aug | Chicago Fire FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 07 Aug | Atlanta United FC | H | 2–3 | L |
| 04 Aug | D.C. United SC | H | 2–4 | L |
| 30 Jul | New York City FC | A | 1–4 | L |
| 24 Jul | Atlanta United FC | A | 1–0 | W |
| 21 Jul | Nashville SC | H | 0–0 | D |
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' The wait is over. Chicago Fire FC get us underway at Soldier Field.
- 5' Neither side is committing men forward. This has all the hallmarks of a tense, tactical contest.
- 10' The referee has had an easy afternoon — neither side has been overly physical in the tackle.
- 15' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 20' Over 20 minutes have gone by without a meaningful attack. The supporters want more.
- 25' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 27' Derrick Etienne was booked on 27.
- 32' The referee is likely to let players tackle, as he already missed some meaty challenges during opening seconds. He is still to establish what should not be done by the players and what is acceptable on the pitch. It’s going to be a tough game for Kevin Molino suffering a number of foals already.
- 37' Columbus Crew SC seems to be on a short break. The game is mainly concentrated in the center. It’s high time they got back to action. Otherwise, it looks like a goalless game.
- 42' Fabian Herbers has been relatively quiet despite scoring 16 goals in his last 286 appearances.
- 47' Spectators are craving for more action. Both teams play very cautiously. They need to put some more energy.
- 52' Bradley Wright-Phillips has certainly something to prove this evening. He made 15 appearances with only 0 goals this season.
- 57' Columbus Crew SC looks like a favorite considering 0 games won in last 1 matches with its main striker scoring 0 goals.
- 58' Time for substitution for Chicago Fire FC. Nnamdi Chinonso Offor is replaced by Robert Beric.
- 59' The whistle greets Elliot Collier as he departs to be replaced by Brian Gutierrez.
- 64' Gaston Claudio Gimenez, a , has 0 bookings this season and will need to keep his discipline tonight.
- 69' Kevin Molino is ready to make an impact after coming on for Derrick Etienne at the 69 minute mark.
- 74' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Caleb Porter will be considering his options from the bench.
- 77' Brilliant from the ! Luka Stojanovic makes it 1-0 with a superb finish on 77.
- 78' Clinical. Composed. Brilliant. Luka Stojanovic makes it 2-0.
- 79' Another change for Chicago Fire FC made on 79 minute. Jonathan Bornstein leaves to be changed by Jhon Espinoza.
- 83' The whistle greets Carlos Teran as he departs to be replaced by Wyatt Omsberg.
- 84' Luka Stojanovic makes way for Stanislav Ivanov at the 84 minute mark. A tactical switch from Chicago Fire FC.
- 88' The whistle greets Liam Fraser as he departs to be replaced by Bradley Wright-Phillips.
- What a match! Full time at {STADIUM} — Chicago Fire FC 1-0 Columbus Crew SC.
Lineups
Chicago Fire FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 21
- 5
- 1
- 2
- 28
- 8
- 3
- 22
-
23
Carlos Teran ↓ Wyatt Omsberg 79'
- 30
- 9
Bench
-
27
Robert Beric ↑ 58'
- 4
-
20
Wyatt Omsberg ↑ 79'
-
99
Stanislav Ivanov ↑ 84'
-
14
Jhon Espinoza ↑ 79'
- 32
-
40
Brian Gutierrez ↑ 59'
- 38
- 34
Coach
Raphaël Wicky
Columbus Crew SC Lineups
Starting XI
- 1
-
22
Derrick Etienne ↓ Kevin Molino 69'
- 18
- 14
- 4
- 11
- 7
- 6
- 30
- 10
- 26
Bench
-
20
Alexandru Matan ↑ 84'
-
99
Bradley Wright-Phillips ↑ 88'
- 24
- 25
-
9
Kevin Molino ↑ 69'
- 33
- 5
- 27
- 16
Coach
Caleb Porter
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Gyasi Zardes | 8 |
| Cucho Hernandez | 3 |
| Derrick Etienne | 3 |
| Jacen Russell-Rowe | 3 |
| Diego Rossi | 3 |
| Brian Gutierrez | 2 |
| Djordje Mihailovic | 2 |
| Juan Hernandez | 2 |
Head to Head
Chicago Fire FC Form
Columbus Crew SC Form
2021-08-15
Chicago Fire FC
1–0
Columbus Crew SC
L
2021-08-07
Columbus Crew SC
2–3
Atlanta United FC
L
2021-08-04
Columbus Crew SC
2–4
D.C. United SC
L
2021-07-30
New York City FC
4–1
Columbus Crew SC
L
2021-07-24
Atlanta United FC
0–1
Columbus Crew SC
W
2021-07-21
Columbus Crew SC
0–0
Nashville SC
D
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
1.64
Chicago Fire FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1
Columbus Crew SC xG
I would bet for:
Markets are evenly balanced — no clear value pick.
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Chicago Fire FC win
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 2.64
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 91% |
|
9% |
| ± 1.5 | 74% |
|
26% |
| ± 2.5 | 48% |
|
52% |
| ± 3.5 | 27% |
|
73% |
| ± 4.5 | 13% |
|
87% |
Double Chance
Chicago Fire FC or Draw
78%
Draw or Columbus Crew SC
48%
Chicago Fire FC or Columbus Crew SC
74%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
12.6%
1 – 0
Actual
2 – 0
9.4%
2 – 1
9.2%
0 – 0
9.1%
0 – 1
6.2%
1 – 2
5.6%
3 – 1
5.1%
3 – 0
5%
2 – 2
4.7%
0 – 2
3.5%
3 – 2
2.6%
Asian Handicap — Chicago Fire FC
| Handicap | Chicago Fire FC covers | Push | Columbus Crew SC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 12% | — | 88% |
| -2 | 12% | 16% | 72% |
| -1.5 | 28% | — | 72% |
| -1 | 28% | 23% | 49% |
| -0.5 | 51% | — | 49% |
| +0.5 | 78% | — | 22% |
| +1 | 78% | 14% | 8% |
| +1.5 | 92% | — | 8% |
| +2 | 92% | 6% | 2% |
| +2.5 | 98% | — | 2% |
Clean Sheet
Chicago Fire FC keeps clean sheet
37%
✗
Columbus Crew SC keeps clean sheet
20%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.