Chicago Fire FC will face Western Conference side St. Louis CITY SC for only the second time at home in regular season play on Saturday, August 16 at SeatGeek Stadium.
Chicago is back in Bridgeview for a second consecutive week after playing LAFC to a 2-2 draw there on Saturday. Defender Carlos Terán put the Fire up early, flicking a Philip Zinckernagel corner kick into the far post for a goal in the 11th minute. In the second half, Brian Gutiérrez played a give-and-go to Zinckernagel that the Danish winger took into the box before tapping the ball to Bamba on the right of the box. The Ivorian winger blasted a one-time shot into the back of the net for the Fire lead. The visitors wound up tying the game on a penalty kick goal, but were unable to defeat the Fire for the first time in regular season play.
St. Louis will face Chicago coming off an upset 3-1 victory over Supporters’ Shield contender Nashville SC. Defender Jaziel Orozco opened the scoring for St. Louis with his first MLS goal in the 23rd minute, before forwards João Klauss and Sangbin Jeong added to the lead. Despite a late Nashville goal, the crowd at Energizer Park in St. Louis came away happy with their fourth home victory of the season.
The Midwest rivalry between Chicago and St. Louis will renew hostilities for only the third time in league play. Chicago won the first matchup 1-0 on May 13, 2023 at Soldier Field, while St. Louis responded the following year with a 3-1 win at Energizer Park on May 11. Saturday will mark the first league matchup between the sides at SeatGeek Stadium; however, the two have played there before as part of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In the very first meeting between the teams in any competition – and on the same week as their inaugural league match – the Fire won 2-1 to advance to the Round of 16 of the Open Cup.
Game Information
CHICAGO FIRE FC (10-9-6, 36 points) vs. St. Louis CITY SC (5-14-6, 21 points)
Saturday, August 16, 2025
SeatGeek Stadium – Bridgeview, Ill.
All-Time MLS Regular Season Record vs. STL: (1-1-0)
Last Game vs. STL: May 13, 2023 (1-0 W) – Soldier Field – Chicago (Match Recap)
Last Game at STL: May 11, 2024 (1-3 L) – Energizer Park – St. Louis (Match Recap)
Keys to the Match
- Respect Above All: After facing a perennial contender in LAFC, the Fire now turn toward St. Louis CITY SC, which comes into SeatGeek Stadium just five points above the bottom of the West this season. But Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has a message for his team – they are still tough. “They’re a strong team,” said Berhalter. “I think it's been a disjointed season for them so far. I think they're definitely better than their table place indicates.”
- Fortress SeatGeek, Pt. II – Despite St. Louis’ relative youth in MLS, having come into the league in 2023, matches between the sides have often played out like an old rivalry. After playing in a packed house at SeatGeek Stadium last week against LAFC, players like Philip Zinckernagel are ready to do it again – this time in a rivalry match. “I think the environment and the atmosphere around the game was really good,” said Zinckernagel. “We've also talked about the rivalry, so they'll probably bring some fans.”
- Klauss is Coming to Town: St. Louis has not scored many goals this season but still features one of the best players in the league in João Klauss. The Brazilian forward leads his side with nine goals and has been a model of consistency, appearing in all but one match this season. He will provide yet another test for the Fire backline, but one for which captain Jack Elliott and Carlos Terán will be up to the task.
By the Numbers
9 – Carlos Terán’s goal to open the scoring in 11th minute against LAFC was Chicago’s ninth off corner kicks this season. The nine corner kick goals are the second most in the league this year, just one behind first-place Philadelphia Union. Chicago’s fourth-best 0.24 corner xG/90 – or expected goals per game – indicates that the Fire is among the best in creating chances from corner kicks. The number is also the highest for the Fire in the last decade, as the previous high was six last season.
11 – Philip Zinckernagel recorded his 11th assist of the season in the 11th minute of the match on Saturday. Not one to limit himself, he went on to record his 12th in the second half on Jonathan Bamba’s fourth goal of the year. The number is the fifth-highest single-season assist tally in Fire history, tying Ring of Fire member Piotr Nowak’s inaugural 1998 season and Nico Gaitán’s sneakily good 2019 campaign. His total goal contributions (22) this season are tied for third-most in a single Fire season with Ante Razov (2002) and David Accam (2017).
25 – Defender Andrew Gutman started his 25th match of 2025 Saturday against LAFC. A career-high in starts for any single team, the number also matched the most appearances in a season for any team, tying his mark set for Atlanta United during the 2022 season. His 10 goal contributions, including eight assists, are career-highs, as are his 2,059 minutes of league play. With nine matches remaining in the regular season, Gutman has an opportunity to record career-highs in most relevant categories for the left back, making it a career year for the Chicago Fire Academy graduate.
Chicago Fire FC center backs Jack Elliott (left) and Carlos Terán (right) faced one of the best players in the game last Saturday in LAFC's Son Heung-Min. (Dan Bartel | Chicago Fire FC)
How to Watch
The latest chapter in the rivalry between Chicago and St. Louis is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT at SeatGeek Stadium. The match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and transmitted locally on WLS 890 AM and 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 Tuesday, August 19 at 4 p.m. CT.
