Chicago Fire FC will head to the Sunshine State to face Orlando City SC in the fourth leg of a five-game road trip on Saturday, May 31.
Chicago will look to rebound from a 3-1 loss to New York City FC in the Bronx on Sunday afternoon. Philip Zinckernagel kicked off the scoring with a long-range effort in the 19th minute, but a red card in the 32nd minute changed the outlook for the Fire in the second half. New York tallied three unanswered goals in the game, breaking up Chicago’s five-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
Orlando will welcome the Fire following a midweek road match against Atlanta United FC on Wednesday, May 28. But the Lions will go into the week on a 12-game unbeaten run in league play following their 1-0 home win against Portland Timbers on Saturday night. Duncan McGuire’s goal in the 39th minute was enough as Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese recorded his league-high seventh clean sheet of the season.
Saturday’s match is the first of three in a row for Chicago against teams it has already faced in 2025. The Fire opened up a successful month of May with a 0-0 draw against Orlando City at Soldier Field, their second clean sheet of 2025. The Men in Red now have a record of 5-8-8 all-time against the Lions, including a 2-5-3 mark on the road in Central Florida.
Game Information
CHICAGO FIRE FC (5-5-4, 19 points) at Orlando City SC (7-2-6, 27 points)
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Inter&Co Stadium – Orlando, Fla.
All-Time MLS Regular Season Record vs. ORL: (5-8-8)
Last Game vs. ORL: May 3, 2025 (0-0 D) – Soldier Field – Chicago (Match Recap)
Last Game at ORL: June 22, 2024 (2-4 L) – Inter&Co Stadium – Orlando, Fla. (Match Recap)
Keys to the Match
- Be Ruthless: Wednesday night was not a pleasant one for Orlando. With less than 15 minutes left in their match at Atlanta United, the Lions had a 2-1 lead and a 12-game unbeaten streak on the road. Within minutes, everything unraveled. A red card for Orlando was followed by an Atlanta goal, which was followed by head coach Oscar Pareja being sent off. With minutes left in stoppage time, the hosts broke through and came away with the game-winner. Without a starter, head coach and unbeaten streak, Orlando looks vulnerable – but only if Chicago is ruthless on the road.
- Phil Good Inc: Philip Zinckernagel has scored in three consecutive matches for the Fire across all competitions going into Saturday. He also has five straight road games with a goal contribution in MLS play – a Club record. Needless to say, Zinckernagel is red-hot at the moment, and another goal or assist from him could be the difference against one of the best defenses in the league.
- Kids in America: Chicago Fire Homegrown players Chris Brady, Christopher Cupps and Sergio Oregel Jr. all earned call-ups to various levels of the U.S. Men’s National Team this week. The call-ups were the result of a brilliant 2025 season for the trio. But they could also serve as motivation going into the match on Saturday, giving them one last chance to play together and show why they are some of the best players in American soccer.
By the Numbers
1 – With a win on Saturday against Orlando City SC, Chicago has a chance to have the best calendar month of May in Club history since 2017, when the Fire went a stunning 4-0-1 in league play, and the fourth best May in all of Club history. One win would also give the Fire five road wins for the season, their best mark in a season since 2012 and three wins short of a record eight set in 1999.
3 – Philip Zinckernagel has scored a goal in each of the last three matches for Chicago, all of them on the road. The Danish winger kicked off the Fire’s five-game road trip with a crowd-silencing third goal in a 4-1 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday, May 17. Three days later, the winger did it again, this time in Rhode Island in a 3-1 Open Cup victory against New England Revolution. Finally, he opened the scoring in The Bronx against NYCFC on Sunday, looking like one of the best players on the field before coming off the field for a defensive substitution. Zinckernagel has been a big contributor all season long but has truly been a deciding factor behind the Fire’s 2-1-0 road trip form.
18 – Chicago remains the best scoring road team in all of Major League Soccer, tallying 18 goals in eight road matches, including five in the opening two games of the current road trip. The goals have helped turn the Fire into one of the best road teams in the league with four wins. According to fullback Omari Glasgow, that has helped form a unique identity for the Club. “We just go [on the road] and put in the work,” he said. “We try to take the game and match their intensity and do what is our game plan.”
How to Watch
Kickoff at Inter&Co Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, and transmitted locally on wlsam.com (English), and Que Buena 105.1 via the Uforia app (Spanish).
