Chicago Fire FC returns to the lakefront for three consecutive home matches, looking for victory in a rematch against Nashville SC as part of a doubleheader co-hosted with Chicago Stars FC.
Chicago closed out a five-game road trip on Saturday night with aplomb, defeating D.C. United in a 7-1 rout at Audi Field in Washington. Maren Haile-Selassie and Jonathan Bamba opened the scoring in the match, while Philip Zinckernagel and Brian Gutiérrez each added a goal of their own. But it was Tom Barlow who stole the show, tallying three times for his first career hat trick and earning the title of MLS Player of the Matchday in the highest scoring night in Club history.
Nashville will return from a bye week looking to extend a club-record 10-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. In their last match on May 31, the Boys in Gold took a 2-0 lead at home against New York City FC thanks to forward Sam Surridge’s second brace in three matches. But New York fought back to earn a draw, led by forward Hannes Wolf’s second half brace. The sides settled for one point apiece, handing Nashville an unbeaten streak that started with a win against Chicago on April 26.
Game Information
CHICAGO FIRE FC (7-5-4, 25 points) at Nashville SC (8-4-5, 29 points)
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Soldier Field – Chicago
All-Time MLS Regular Season Record vs. NSH: (1-5-2)
Last Game vs. NSH: Oct. 19, 2024 (0-3 L) – Soldier Field – Chicago (Match Recap)
Last Game at NSH: April 26, 2025 (2-7 L) – GEODIS Park – Nashville, Tenn. (Match Recap)
Keys to the Match
Go Big and Go Home: After a five-game road trip, the Fire return to the lakefront to face Nashville SC in a long-awaited rematch. In the eight matches since a tough loss to Nashville on April 26, the Men in Red have gone 6-1-1 across all competitions to jump back into the playoff hunt. Coming off a big victory against D.C. United last Saturday, the Fire have a thirst for revenge against Nashville.
More Concentration, Less Hesitation: Chicago has not allowed more than one goal in seven of the last eight matches since their loss to Nashville. In those games, they have scored a whopping 24 goals. The Fire will have to sustain their current defensive form against an attack featuring Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar, allowing their own front three to be ruthless on the attack.
Hail Maren: In his first league start of 2025, Maren Haile-Selassie stepped up to the challenge against D.C., netting his first goal of the season to set the tone against the Black and Red. With prominent players away on international duty, Haile-Selassie played a key component in the Fire’s triumphant night and will likely have a similar prominence in the rematch against Nashville SC.
By the Numbers
1 – Chicago Fire FC II forward Jason Shokalook signed a short-term contract early on Saturday, ahead of making his first appearance in Major League Soccer against D.C. United that evening. The Erie, Pa. Native made his minutes count, recording an assist on Brian Gutiérrez’s goal to seal the 7-1 scoreline in Washington. The forward followed his debut with a start in Chicago Fire II’s match against New England Revolution II just hours later on Sunday afternoon. That match was interrupted by inclement weather, resuming on Monday with Shokalook still in the lineup. Three consecutive days of action later, “Shok” gets to enjoy a debut, an assist and a comeback draw within the span of 48 hours.
2 – Chicago’s seven-goal outburst on Saturday pushed the Fire into second place in the league in goals scored with 35. That mark has the Fire ahead of teams like Philadelphia Union, Orlando City SC and Nashville SC, all with one more match played than Chicago. The advanced metrics back up the Fire’s potent attack – they are third in expected goals (xG) and non-penalty expected goals (NPxG), first in xG per shot. Of the 35 goals, 28 have come on the road – almost twice as many as second place LAFC and New England with 15 each.
7 – With a goal and an assist against D.C. on Sunday, winger Philip Zinckernagel pushed his streak of road matches with a goal contribution to seven this season, a Club record and three away from the league record set by Atlanta’s Josef Martínez in 2018. “Zinck” also has a four-game goal streak in league play, one goal away from tying the Fire record of five games in a row with a goal set by David Accam and Robert Berić.
How to Watch
The Fire will co-host a doubleheader Saturday at Soldier Field that will kick off with Chicago Stars FC’s match against Seattle Reign FC at 4 p.m. CT. First kick for the Fire’s match against Nashville SC is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and transmitted locally on WLS 890 AM (English) and Que Buena Fire via the Uforia app (Spanish).
