FC Cincinnati vs Chicago Fire FC, MLS 2026 REGULAR SEASON
Overview
Match Preview
FC Cincinnati vs Chicago Fire FC — MLS .
- FC Cincinnati 18 games · 26 pts (2026/26)
- Chicago Fire FC 17 games · 29 pts (2026/26)
Match Details
- Referee Fotis Bazakos
- Referee Baldomero Toledo
- Referee Apolinar Mariscal
- Referee Kevin Terry Jr.
- Referee Ian McKay
8 games this season
🟨 2.5/game
⚽ 11.6 goals/game
🟥 1 total
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep | Chicago Fire FC | H | 0–0 | D |
| 18 Sep | Atlanta United FC | H | 0–2 | L |
| 14 Sep | Montreal Impact FC | A | 1–0 | W |
| 07 Sep | Toronto FC | H | 1–5 | L |
| 01 Sep | FC Dallas | A | 1–3 | L |
| 25 Aug | Columbus Crew SC | H | 1–3 | L |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep | FC Cincinnati | A | 0–0 | D |
| 14 Sep | FC Dallas | H | 4–0 | W |
| 31 Aug | Columbus Crew SC | A | 1–1 | D |
| 24 Aug | New England Revolution | A | 1–2 | L |
| 18 Aug | Philadelphia Union | H | 2–0 | W |
| 15 Aug | Portland Timbers | A | 2–3 | L |
Season Stats
| FC Cincinnati | Chicago Fire FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #6 | Position | #4 |
| 26 | Points | 29 |
| 18 | Played | 17 |
| 7 / 5 / 6 | W / D / L | 9 / 2 / 6 |
| 45 | Scored | 32 |
| 44 | Conceded | 23 |
| +1 | GD | +9 |
| 1.44 | PPG | 1.71 |
| 39% | Win % | 53% |
Key Stats
63%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (16 games)
H2H (16 games)
69%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
21%
Clean Sheets
FC Cincinnati this season
FC Cincinnati this season
41%
Clean Sheets
Chicago Fire FC this season
Chicago Fire FC this season
FC Cincinnati are 6th (26 pts). Chicago Fire FC are 4th (29 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
FC Cincinnati
0-15
3/2
16-30
4/7
31-45
9/5
46-60
4/7
61-75
2/1
76+
11/3
■ Scored ■ Conceded
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
Top Scorers (This Season)
FC Cincinnati
| Evander | 10 G | 4 A |
| Kevin Denkey | 10 G | 1 A |
| Tom Barlow | 5 G |
Chicago Fire FC
| Hugo Cuypers | 11 G | |
| Philip Zinckernagel | 5 G | 4 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' The game is set. FC Cincinnati kicks off things out of here…
- 5' Djordje Mihailovic has been relatively quiet despite scoring 51 goals in his last 278 appearances.
- 10' Chicago Fire FC have won 398 goals from 278 games. They will be desperate to add to that tally today.
- 15' It looks surprising Chicago Fire FC does not make any changes. Thomas McCabe has some obvious troubles when approaching to the goal.
- 20' The referee reaches into his pocket. Out comes the Yellow card for Kendall Waston.
- 25' That looks like a foul for a Yellow card for C.J. Sapong.
- 30' The referee has no hesitation. Dax McCarty is booked for Chicago Fire SC — Yellow card on 30.
- 35' FC Cincinnati are enjoying more possession but struggling to find a way through a disciplined Chicago Fire FC backline.
- 40' Chicago Fire FC 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.
- 45' FC Cincinnati looks like a favorite considering 1 games won in last 2 matches with its main striker Evander scoring 4 goals.
- 46' The FC Cincinnati manager makes a substitution. Rashawn Dally departs to be replaced by Joe Gyau.
- 51' Supporters expect more eagerness from Francisco Calvo, as he is very good at scoring at with 0 goals in the last 0 games.
- 56' While players are taking a pause, let’s have a look at their stats. The teams met 2 times this season with FC Cincinnati winning 50% of all matches.
- 58' Djordje Mihailovic is replacing Nicolas Gaitan for the Chicago Fire SC side.
- 63' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His FC Cincinnati side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 64' FC Cincinnati make a change. Derrick Etienne trudges off to be replaced by Roland Lamah on 64 minutes.
- 66' It is a substitution in Chicago Fire SC team. C.J. Sapong is replaced by Aleksandar Katai on 66 minute.
- 71' With 0 assists to his name this season, Derrick Etienne is clearly more than just a goal scorer for Chicago Fire FC.
- 76' Neither side is committing men forward. This has all the hallmarks of a tense, tactical contest.
- 77' Brandt Bronico makes way for Fabian Herbers at the 77 minute mark. A tactical switch from Chicago Fire SC.
- 82' Emmanuel Ledesma has been one of the livelier players on the pitch with 0 goals to his name this season.
- 87' C.J. Sapong has certainly something to prove this evening. He made 18 appearances with only 0 goals this season.
- 90' Time for substitution for FC Cincinnati. Leonardo Bertone is replaced by Andrew Gutman.
- The final whistle. It looks like we are having a draw.
Lineups
FC Cincinnati Lineups
Starting XI
- 23
- 17
- 22
-
16
Derrick Etienne ↓ Roland Lamah 64'
- 2
- 6
- 4
- 45
- 24
-
81
Rashawn Dally ↓ Joe Gyau 46'
- 26
Bench
-
36
Joe Gyau ↑ 46'
-
7
Roland Lamah ↑ 64'
- 8
- 14
- 13
-
96
Andrew Gutman ↑ 90'
Coach
Ron Jans
Chicago Fire FC Lineups
Starting XI
- 27
-
9
C.J. Sapong ↓ Aleksandar Katai 66'
- 11
- 5
- 31
- 23
-
13
Brandt Bronico ↓ Fabian Herbers 77'
- 6
- 4
- 20
- 3
Bench
- 2
-
21
Fabian Herbers ↑ 77'
-
10
Aleksandar Katai ↑ 66'
- 45
-
14
Djordje Mihailovic ↑ 58'
- 16
- 33
Coach
Veljko Paunovic
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Evander | 7 |
| Hugo Cuypers | 5 |
| Luciano Acosta | 4 |
| Jhon Duran | 3 |
| Brian Gutierrez | 3 |
| Robert Beric | 3 |
| Junior Moreno | 2 |
| Philip Zinckernagel | 2 |
Head to Head
FC Cincinnati Form
Chicago Fire FC Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
1 / 4
1.66
FC Cincinnati xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.94
Chicago Fire FC xG
I would bet for:
FC Cincinnati or Chicago Fire FC 75% + Both teams to score 69%
Match Result
✗ WrongActual: Draw
Both Teams to Score
✗ Wrong
Avg goals/match: 3.6
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✗ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 96% |
|
4% |
| ± 1.5 | 87% |
|
13% |
| ± 2.5 | 69% |
|
31% |
| ± 3.5 | 48% |
|
52% |
| ± 4.5 | 30% |
|
70% |
Double Chance
FC Cincinnati or Draw
60%
Draw or Chicago Fire FC
64%
FC Cincinnati or Chicago Fire FC
75%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
9.6%
1 – 2
8.2%
2 – 1
7.1%
2 – 2
6.8%
1 – 3
5.3%
0 – 2
5.2%
0 – 1
4.7%
2 – 3
4.4%
0 – 0
Actual
1 – 0
3.9%
3 – 1
3.9%
2 – 0
3.8%
Asian Handicap — FC Cincinnati
| Handicap | FC Cincinnati covers | Push | Chicago Fire FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 7% | — | 93% |
| -2 | 7% | 10% | 83% |
| -1.5 | 17% | — | 83% |
| -1 | 17% | 16% | 67% |
| -0.5 | 33% | — | 67% |
| +0.5 | 56% | — | 44% |
| +1 | 56% | 19% | 25% |
| +1.5 | 75% | — | 25% |
| +2 | 75% | 13% | 12% |
| +2.5 | 88% | — | 12% |
Clean Sheet
FC Cincinnati keeps clean sheet
15%
✗
Chicago Fire FC keeps clean sheet
20%
✗
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.