CHICAGO (Oct. 6, 2026) – Chicago Fire FC (13-8-6, 45 points) defeated Vancouver Whitecaps FC (15-7-5, 50 points) 3-1 on Tuesday night at Soldier Field.
Wingers Jonathan Bamba, Philip Zinckernagel and Maren Haile-Selassie all scored in a makeup match from Matchday 16 against the current Western Conference leaders. With the victory, Chicago leapt over Charlotte FC into fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
Chicago jumped out of the opening whistle in search of an opening goal. In the ninth minute, midfielder Anton Salétros dribbled through the center of the park before finding Bamba on the left. The winger turned toward the top of the box before ripping off a shot that found the bottom corner of the far post for a quick 1-0 lead.
The onslaught continued with over 10 shots in the first half, but the Vancouver defense did enough to keep the score within reach through halftime. Upon the start of the second half, Bamba found himself in the middle of the action in the 50th minute, sparking Leonardo Barroso into the final third. The left back dished a pass into the top of the box that Zinckernagel laid off for Haile-Selassie on a give-and-go, regaining the ball for an open look in front of goal that he finished for his sixth tally of the year.
The defending Western Conference champions did not relent, with center back Matthias Laborda heading home a corner kick in the 73rd minute. Fresh off goals with their national teams, winger Puso Dithejane and forward Robert Lewandowski came off the bench to bookend an attack on the right in the 88th minute. Dithejane played back to midfielder Dje D’Avilla, whose through ball was backheeled by forward Johan Gómez into the path of Lewandowski. The striker dribbled behind the defense before laying off to a wide-open Haile-Selassie on his left, who sealed the result in the 88th minute with an easy finish in front of a jubilant supporters’ section.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago remains at Soldier Field for a weekend matinee against New York City FC on Saturday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on Apple TV, and transmitted locally on wlsam.com in English and TUDN Chicago 106.7-HD2 and Uforia by TREBEL app in Spanish.
Match Notes:
- Winger Maren Haile-Selassie moved into the top-10 in Club history in several categories with his goal and assist in the match. His 22nd goal with Chicago moved him into a tie for 10th all-time among goal scorers, while his 29th assist has him in a tie for seventh all-time with Jesse Marsch. His combined 51 goal contributions are the sixth-most among all players in Club history.
- Jonathan Bamba scored his third goal of the season to open the match, his first since March 21. Unlike his first two goals, this one was not in game-winning fashion, but set the tone for a Fire attack that delivered 21 shots, including eight on goal.
- Philip Zinckernagel tallied his team-leading fourth game-winning goal of the season five minutes into the second half. The winger now has 16 goal contributions for the year for a combined 46 since his first season with Chicago in 2025.
- Midfielder Anton Salétros immediately made an impact in his return to the pitch from injury. The Swedish midfielder dished his third assist of the season just nine minutes into the match, connecting well with usual midfield partner Dje D’Avilla.
- Goalkeeper Josh Cohen earned his second win in as many matches with Chicago Fire FC while filling in for U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Chris Brady. Cohen had maintained a clean sheet for 163 minutes before Matthias Laborda’s goal interrupted the streak.
- Besides Brady (USMNT), defender Noah Allen (Greece U-21) and midfielders Robin Lod (Finland), Anzor Mekvabishvili (Georgia) and Robert Turdean (United States U-17) were unavailable for selection while on international duty with their respective national teams. Midfielder André Franco (Lower Body) remains on the Injured List.
Social: Twitter - @chicagofire, @vamosfire (Hashtags: #cf97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook
Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 3:1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Goals:
CHI - Bamba (3) (Salétros 3) (WATCH) 9’
CHI - Zinckernagel (6) (Haile-Selassie 9) (WATCH) 50’
VAN- Laborda (4) (Larraz 4) (WATCH) 73’
CHI - Haile-Selassie (9) (Lewandowski 3, Gómez 1) (WATCH) 88’
Discipline:
CHI - Zinckernagel (Caution) 19’
CHI - Dean (Caution) 55’
VAN - Johnson (Caution) 61’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Cohen, D Dean, D Elliott (capt.), D Mbokazi, D Barroso, M Salétros (Pineda, 46’), M D’Avilla, M Zinckernagel (Dithejane, 76’), M Bamba (Lewandowski, 76’), F Gómez (Poreba, 90+2’), F Haile-Selassie
Subs not used: GK Gal, D Rogers, D Gutman, D Hanche-Olsen, M Oregel Jr.
Head Coach: Gregg Berhalter
Vancouver Whitecaps FC: GK Takaoka, D Modesto, D Laborda, D Blackmon, D Johnson (Adekugbe, 73’) , M Larraz (Elloumi, 89’), M Cvetković (Müller, 46’), M Sabaly (Diaby, 58’), M Gauld (capt.), M Sabbi (Caicedo, 58’), F White
Subs not used: GK Boehmer, D Veselinovic, D Djordjevic, M Ramirez,
Head Coach: Jesper Sørensen
Stats Summary: CHI / VAN
Shots: 21 / 14
Shots on Goal: 8 / 2
Saves: 8 / 7
Passing Accuracy: 82.9% / 78.9%
Corners: 2 / 8
Fouls: 9 / 11
Offsides: 2 / 5
Possession: 51.3% / 48.7%
Venue: Soldier Field
Attendance: 31,381
Referee: Sergii Boiko
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Kieso, Jeffrey Greeson
Fourth Official: Lukasz Szpala
VAR: Ismir Pekmic
AVAR: Jonathan Johnson
