Chicago Fire FC vs Nashville SC, MLS 2021 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
Chicago Fire FC vs Nashville SC — MLS at Soldier Field.
- Chicago Fire FC 17 games · 29 pts (2026/26)
- Nashville SC 18 games · 40 pts (2026/26)
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nashville SC | 18 | 40 |
| 2 | Internacional CF Miami | 18 | 38 |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 18 | 30 |
| 4 | Chicago Fire FC | 17 | 29 |
| 5 | New York City FC | 18 | 26 |
| 6 | FC Cincinnati | 18 | 26 |
| 7 | Charlotte FC | 18 | 25 |
| 8 | New York Red Bulls | 18 | 25 |
| 9 | D.C. United SC | 18 | 23 |
| 10 | Columbus Crew SC | 18 | 20 |
| 11 | Orlando City SC | 18 | 20 |
| 12 | Toronto FC | 18 | 17 |
| 13 | Philadelphia Union | 18 | 16 |
| 14 | Montreal Impact FC | 18 | 16 |
| 15 | Atlanta United FC | 18 | 12 |
| 16 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 17 | 34 |
| 17 | Los Angeles FC | 19 | 34 |
| 18 | San Jose Earthquakes | 18 | 33 |
| 19 | Houston Dynamo | 18 | 32 |
| 20 | FC Dallas | 18 | 27 |
| 21 | Real Salt Lake | 17 | 27 |
| 22 | St. Louis City | 18 | 26 |
| 23 | Portland Timbers | 18 | 24 |
| 24 | Seattle Sounders FC | 17 | 24 |
| 25 | Minnesota United FC | 18 | 24 |
| 26 | Colorado Rapids SC | 18 | 22 |
| 27 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 19 | 22 |
| 28 | San Diego FC | 18 | 21 |
| 29 | Austin FC | 18 | 17 |
| 30 | Sporting Kansas City | 18 | 14 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Sep | Nashville SC | H | 0–0 | D |
| 23 Sep | New England Revolution | H | 2–3 | L |
| 19 Sep | Montreal Impact FC | A | 0–2 | L |
| 15 Sep | D.C. United SC | A | 0–3 | L |
| 12 Sep | Sporting Kansas City | A | 0–2 | L |
| 28 Aug | New York Red Bulls | A | 1–0 | W |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Sep | Chicago Fire FC | A | 0–0 | D |
| 22 Sep | Internacional CF Miami | A | 5–1 | W |
| 18 Sep | Toronto FC | A | 1–2 | L |
| 12 Sep | Montreal Impact FC | A | 1–0 | W |
| 03 Sep | New York City FC | H | 3–1 | W |
| 28 Aug | Atlanta United FC | A | 2–0 | W |
Season Stats
| Chicago Fire FC | Nashville SC | |
|---|---|---|
| #4 | Position | #1 |
| 29 | Points | 40 |
| 17 | Played | 18 |
| 9 / 2 / 6 | W / D / L | 12 / 4 / 2 |
| 32 | Scored | 35 |
| 23 | Conceded | 14 |
| +9 | GD | +21 |
| 1.71 | PPG | 2.22 |
| 53% | Win % | 67% |
Key Stats
30%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (10 games)
H2H (10 games)
40%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
41%
Clean Sheets
Chicago Fire FC this season
Chicago Fire FC this season
42%
Clean Sheets
Nashville SC this season
Nashville SC this season
Chicago Fire FC are 4th (29 pts). Nashville SC are 1st (40 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Chicago Fire FC
0-15
3/1
16-30
7/4
31-45
1/5
46-60
2/2
61-75
6/–
76+
2/4
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Nashville SC
0-15
2/1
16-30
5/3
31-45
2/2
46-60
5/1
61-75
5/3
76+
4/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Chicago Fire FC
| Hugo Cuypers | 11 G | |
| Philip Zinckernagel | 5 G | 4 A |
Nashville SC
| Sam Surridge | 10 G | |
| Hany Mukhtar | 6 G | 4 A |
| Warren Madrigal | 5 G | 2 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' The match kicks off with home fans waiting with anticipation for Chicago Fire FC to score. At the same time, Nashville SC does not seem to pull back! Let’s get it on!
- 5' Daniel Lovitz has certainly something to prove this evening. He made 18 appearances with only 0 goals this season.
- 10' The referee has had an easy afternoon — neither side has been overly physical in the tackle.
- 15' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Chicago Fire FC side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 20' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 25' A quiet spell here at Soldier Field. Chicago Fire FC seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- 30' It looks like no one’s ball. Chicago Fire FC is used to counterattacking playing. None of the sides are ready to take the lead.
- 35' Supporters expect more eagerness from Ake Arnaud Loba, as he is very good at scoring at Soldier Field with 0 goals in the last 0 games.
- 40' The teams are not in a rush to score plenty of goals. It might look strange considering Nashville SC that had 215 games and scored 309 goals.
- 45' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Gary Smith will be considering his options from the bench.
- 50' A meaty challenge results in booking for Mauricio Pineda on 50.
- 55' Players seem to put ease on their energy level Spectators hardly appreciate such approach. Teams need to speed up the tempo.
- 56' A meaty challenge results in booking for Brian Anunga on 56.
- 61' Not even hints on scoring a goal over the last 61 minutes.
- 62' Fresh legs for Nashville SC! Daniel Rios comes on to replace Jhonder Cadiz.
- 63' Another substitution for Chicago Fire FC to replace Jhon Espinoza by Fabian Herbers on 63 minute.
- 68' Johan Kappelhof has been relatively quiet despite scoring 3 goals in his last 278 appearances.
- 73' The Nashville SC bench stirs into life. Alex Muyl is withdrawn and Luke Haakenson gets his opportunity.
- 78' Chicago Fire FC are deployed in a today, looking to exploit space against Nashville SC's shape.
- 83' Nashville SC have won 309 goals from 215 games. They will be desperate to add to that tally today.
- 88' The Array continues to deliver drama. Both Chicago Fire FC and Nashville SC are desperate not to drop points on matchday .
- 90' Another change for Nashville SC made on 90 minute. Alistair Johnston leaves to be changed by Eric Miller.
- The final whistle. It looks like we are having a draw.
Lineups
Chicago Fire FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 27
- 10
-
4
Johan Kappelhof ↓ Wyatt Omsberg 73'
- 31
- 7
- 3
-
14
Jhon Espinoza ↓ Fabian Herbers 63'
- 32
- 6
- 22
- 30
Bench
-
21
Fabian Herbers ↑ 63'
- 1
-
20
Wyatt Omsberg ↑ 73'
- 28
- 99
- 37
- 38
-
9
Nnamdi Chinonso Offor ↑ 63'
Coach
Raphaël Wicky
Nashville SC Lineups
Starting XI
- 4
-
19
Alex Muyl ↓ Luke Haakenson 73'
- 1
- 25
-
8
Randall Leal ↓ Ake Arnaud Loba 62'
-
99
Jhonder Cadiz ↓ Daniel Rios 62'
-
6
Dax McCarty ↓ Anibal Godoy 73'
- 2
- 5
- 27
-
12
Alistair Johnston ↓ Eric Miller 90'
Bench
-
20
Anibal Godoy ↑ 73'
- 3
- 35
-
15
Eric Miller ↑ 90'
- 10
- 23
-
14
Daniel Rios ↑ 62'
-
26
Luke Haakenson ↑ 73'
-
72
Ake Arnaud Loba ↑ 62'
Coach
Gary Smith
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Hany Mukhtar | 10 |
| Sam Surridge | 7 |
| Charles Sapong | 2 |
| Philip Zinckernagel | 2 |
| Alex Muyl | 1 |
| Jacob Shaffelburg | 1 |
| Hugo Cuypers | 1 |
| Boris Sekulic | 1 |
Head to Head
Chicago Fire FC Form
2021-09-26
Chicago Fire FC
0–0
Nashville SC
D
2021-09-23
Chicago Fire FC
2–3
New England Revolution
L
2021-09-19
Montreal Impact FC
2–0
Chicago Fire FC
L
2021-09-15
D.C. United SC
3–0
Chicago Fire FC
L
2021-09-12
Sporting Kansas City
2–0
Chicago Fire FC
L
2021-08-28
New York Red Bulls
0–1
Chicago Fire FC
W
Nashville SC Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
3 / 4
0.91
Chicago Fire FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.69
Nashville SC xG
I would bet for:
Markets are evenly balanced — no clear value pick.
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 2.6
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 91% |
|
9% |
| ± 1.5 | 73% |
|
27% |
| ± 2.5 | 48% |
|
52% |
| ± 3.5 | 27% |
|
73% |
| ± 4.5 | 13% |
|
87% |
Double Chance
Chicago Fire FC or Draw
51%
Draw or Nashville SC
76%
Chicago Fire FC or Nashville SC
72%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
12.2%
0 – 1
11.7%
0 – 2
10.4%
0 – 0
Actual
1 – 2
9.3%
1 – 0
5.8%
0 – 3
5.8%
1 – 3
5.3%
2 – 1
5%
2 – 2
4.3%
2 – 0
3%
2 – 3
2.5%
Asian Handicap — Chicago Fire FC
| Handicap | Chicago Fire FC covers | Push | Nashville SC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 2% | — | 98% |
| -2 | 2% | 5% | 93% |
| -1.5 | 7% | — | 93% |
| -1 | 7% | 12% | 81% |
| -0.5 | 19% | — | 81% |
| +0.5 | 46% | — | 54% |
| +1 | 46% | 24% | 30% |
| +1.5 | 70% | — | 30% |
| +2 | 70% | 17% | 14% |
| +2.5 | 86% | — | 14% |
Clean Sheet
Chicago Fire FC keeps clean sheet
19%
✗
Nashville SC keeps clean sheet
41%
✗
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.