Chicago Fire FC heads to the City of Brotherly Love to face Supporters’ Shield contenders Philadelphia Union on Saturday, August 23.
Chicago returns to the road with a five-game unbeaten streak in tow, highlighted by a 3-2 comeback victory against St. Louis CITY SC last Saturday at SeatGeek Stadium. Forward Hugo Cuypers tallied to open the match before the visitors scored twice to open the second half. But Chicago pushed back, as Zinckernagel made a scintillating run toward goal before equalizing the match in the 67th minute. With three minutes remaining in regulation time, the Danish winger drew multiple defenders at the top of the box before laying off to Brian Gutiérrez, who took a touch before rifling a shot that snuck past the glove of goalkeeper Roman Bürki and into the net for the game-winner.
Philadelphia returns to Subaru Park following a split week against rivals New York Red Bulls. The Union hosted the Red Bulls on Wednesday, August 13 as part of the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals, coming back twice to win 3-2. But New York exacted revenge just three days later in New Jersey, beating Philadelphia 1-0 with a 74th minute goal by defender Dylan Nealis. The loss broke up a six-game unbeaten streak across all competitions for Philadelphia, losing the top spot in the Supporters’ Shield standings to FC Cincinnati and San Diego FC in the process.
The Eastern Conference foes will meet for the second time this season, with the first leg going to the Union in a 1-0 result on June 25 at Soldier Field. Philadelphia enjoys an 15-11-9 edge all-time against Chicago in regular season play. But the Fire had a better result their last time out in Chester, Pa., earning a 2-2 draw on Feb. 24, 2024 to open the 2024 MLS regular season.
Game Information
CHICAGO FIRE FC (11-9-6, 39 points) vs. Philadelphia Union (15-6-6, 51 points)
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Subaru Park – Chester, Pa.
All-Time MLS Regular Season Record vs. PHI: (11-15-9)
Last Game vs. PHI: June 25, 2025 (0-1 L) – Soldier Field – Chicago (Match Recap)
Last Game at PHI: Feb. 24, 2024 (2-2 D) – Subaru Park – Chester, Pa. (Match Recap)
Keys to the Match
- New Kids on the Block: Saturday could see the debut of a pair of new faces with Fire. After a full week of training, Portuguese midfielder André Franco will be eager to make his MLS debut in the center of the pitch, helping facilitate one of the best attacking corps in the league. Defender Joel Waterman could also see his first minutes with the Men in Red pending the receipt of his P-1 visa, bringing a wealth of experience from five seasons with CF Montréal to solidify the backline. Whether they play on Saturday or not, they have injected the Club with a fresh energy that could help them return to the postseason.
- The Return of the Road Warriors: Major League Soccer’s best scoring team away from home is back on the road, with its toughest test ahead: the stingy Philadelphia Union defense. At the Fire’s disposal will be Philip Zinckernagel – whose 16 goal contributions on the road are the second best in the league – and Hugo Cuypers, who remains fourth in the league in goals scored with 15. The Men in Red are one victory away from tying the Club record of eight wins on the road, and they could well get one on Saturday.
- Jack is Back: After eight seasons with the Philadelphia Union, defender Jack Elliott will make his return to Subaru Park on Saturday, this time as a member of the Fire. The match will be his second against his old side, having played the full 90 minutes in their last matchup on June 25 at Soldier Field. Elliott did not let his formerteammates get the best of him that day, keeping the Union scoreless from the run of play and being rated one of the best players on the field for either side for his performance. The English defender will arrive in Chester with a similar mindset – saying hi to old friends before putting in a top performance for Chicago.
Chicago Fire FC players salute the Fire faithful following their 3-2 win over St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday (Abel Arciniega | Chicago Fire FC)
By the Numbers
3 – Winger Philip Zinckernagel has the third-most goal contributions above expectation in the league, per Hudl Statsbomb. Defined as the difference between total goal contributions and expected goals and assists (x/G and x/A), Zinckernagel’s 10.26 contributions over the norm are topped only by Cincinnati’s Evander (11.94) and Miami’s Lionel Messi (11.09). His goal and assist against St. Louis on Saturday perfectly encapsulated his ability to create magic seemingly from mid-air, with both plays ending in goals from outside the box.
5 – Chicago is enjoying a five-game unbeaten streak for the second time this season. The last time the Fire had multiple streaks of the same length was in 2022, when they also did the feat twice in the same season. A win or draw at Philadelphia would give Chicago its longest streak since 2017, when the Fire were undefeated for 11 in a row on their way to a postseason appearance.
15 – With his 15 goals scored in 2025, Hugo Cuypers is now tied with 2013 MLS MVP Mike Magee (2013) and Nemanja Nikolic (2018) for the third-most scored in a single season. His total tally of 25 across two seasons with Chicago currently has him in eighth place all-time among Fire players, trailing Piotr Nowak and Marco Pappa by one goal for sixth place. Cuypers is also neck and neck with Zinckernagel in goals per game, with his 0.45 rate just trailing the Danish winger by 0.01.
How to Watch
Saturday's match between Chicago and Philadelphia is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT. It will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and transmitted locally on wlsam.com (English) and Que Buena Fire via the Uforia App (Spanish). A replay of the match will be available on Marquee Sports Network on Monday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. CT.
