The playoff-bound Chicago Fire FC will wrap up the 2025 regular season with a trip to Massachusetts to face the New England Revolution on Decision Day.
Following a playoff-clinching 5-3 win at Inter Miami CF on Sept. 30, the Fire returned to Soldier Field to close out the home portion of the schedule with a 2-2 draw against Toronto FC on Oct. 4. Center back Jack Elliott recorded his first brace with Chicago, tallying in the second half twice off Philip Zinckernagel set pieces, both of which helped the Danish winger set the Fire record for most assists (15) and goal contributions (29) in a season. They now turn their attention to New England, where they have an opportunity to climb above eighth place in the standings with a win. Finishing seventh or above would guarantee a spot in a Best-of-Three opening series against a higher seed, including the chance to host a playoff game.
New England will close out the season at home and out of playoff contention after dropping their last road match of the season 4-1 at Inter Miami CF. Two games into his MLS career, forward Dor Turgeman scored his second goal for New England. But Lionel Messi's hat trick of assists helped Miami secure its 17th win of the season and 16th loss of the year for the visitors.
Saturday’s contest will be the third and final of 2025 between the two longtime rivals. Chicago first traveled to Providence, R.I. on May 20 for a Round of 16 matchup against the Revolution in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Fire came away with a 3-1 victory, before winning their first MLS matchup of the season 3-2 on Aug. 16 at SeatGeek Stadium. The win extended the Fire’s lead in the all-time series to 28-25-21 in 74 matchups, the second-most played opponent for Chicago after Columbus.
Game Information
CHICAGO FIRE FC (15-11-7, 52 points) at New England Revolution (9-16-8, 35 points)
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025
Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, Mass.
All-Time MLS Regular Season Record vs. NE: (28-25-21)
Last Game vs. NE: Sept. 6, 2025 (3- 2 W) – SeatGeek Stadium – Bridgeview, Ill. (Match Recap)
Last Game at NE: March 23, 2024 (1-1 D) – Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, Mass. (Match Recap)
Keys to the Match
- Kings of the Road: Philip Zinckernagel will have a chance to overtake Cincinnati’s Evander for second-most goal contributions on the road this season. Currently tied with the Cincinnati midfielder with 17, Zinckernagel must fend off Miami’s Lionel Messi (16) for second place in the league. San Diego’s Anders Dreyer leads the league with 24, while Denis Bouanga is fifth with 12 – a cadre of MLS MVP candidates in 2025.
- 3x3: For the third time in Club history, Chicago has an opportunity to go a perfect 3-0-0 across all competitions this season against New England after winning 3-1 in Providence, R.I. in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and 3-2 in Bridgeview on Sept. 6. The last time the Fire went 3-0-0 was in 2017, when they won three regular matches against the Revolution by a combined score of 9-2. The 2008 squad did one better: three regular season wins by a combined score of 9-1 before winning 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
- One for the Road: The 2025 regular season comes to an end Saturday with a road match in New England. Decision Day represents an opportunity for the Fire to set new marks in total goals scored in a season and road goals scored in league history. But the day will also serve to set the tone for Chicago’s first postseason appearance since 2017. Three points will not only get the Fire a better playoff position, but could also be the start of a new winning streak when it matters the most.
Fans celebrate on Fan Appreciation Night, presented by Zayed Law Offices, on Oct. 4 at Soldier Field (Joey Perez | Chicago Fire FC)
By the Numbers
1 – With one goal, Philip Zinckernagel can record the first 15-goal/15-assist season in Club history. The newly minted single-season goal contributions record holder is one away from becoming the second 15-goal scorer on the team, trailing only Hugo Cuypers’ 17 this season. One goal can also help the team tie a Club record, as the 66 this season are one shy of the 67 tallied by the 2000 squad.
34 – Left back Andrew Gutman has a chance to become the fourth Fire player to start 34 matches in a single regular season. With a start in Foxborough, Gutman would join Nemanja Nikolić (2017), Jalil Anibaba and Austin Berry (both in 2013) as the only players to have started all matches in a 34-game season. The Chicago Fire Academy graduate’s consistency has been key to the Fire’s success this year, recording career highs in minutes, matches played and assists while being fifth on the team in goal contributions as a defender.
75 – Saturday will feature the 75th regular season match between Chicago and New England, the second longest rivalry for the Fire behind the 79 matches against Columbus. The Men in Red have an all-time lead of 28-25-21, with 109 goals scored to the Revolution’s 102. The sides have played a total of 15 postseason matches in eight series to perfectly equal results – seven wins, seven losses, one draw, and four series wins apiece.
How to Watch
The Fire’s regular season finale on Decision Day 2025 is scheduled to kick off at 5:00 p.m. CT at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. The match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and will be transmitted locally on WLS 890 AM (English) and Que Buena Fire via the Uforia App (Spanish).
