BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (Aug. 25, 2026) – Chicago Fire FC fell 2-1 against Liga MX side C.F. Monterrey in the Leagues Cup 2026 Quarterfinals on Tuesday night at SeatGeek Stadium. With the loss, Chicago was eliminated from competition.
Both sides traded multiple looks from the opening whistle as Chicago had the larger share of possession. Monterrey struck back on the counterattack, winning a penalty kick in the 38th minute that ended up blasted off the post. Rayados continued pressing to win a foul in stoppage time, setting up a free kick that resulted in defender Victor Guzmán’s header to give his side the lead going into halftime.
The Fire came out of the break looking for an equalizer, but fell short against a stout Monterrey defense. Just seconds after entering the match, forward Robin Lod deftly slipped a ball to Andrew Gutman on the wing. The left back centered across the box near the penalty spot, where a late-arriving winger Philip Zinckernagel struck on first touch to equalize the match in front of a raucous supporters’ section.
In the 83rd minute, midfielder Lucas Ocampos’ shot from distance was blocked, falling to OrbelÃn Pineda. The winger took a touch, then laced a stunner off the far post and in for a 2-1 lead that finished the Fire’s Leagues Cup run and seven-game unbeaten streak across all competitions.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago Fire FC resumes league play on the road against Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, Aug. 29. Kickoff at Lumen Field in Seattle is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. CT. 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:
- Philip Zinckernagel tallied his second goal of Leagues Cup 2026, finishing in a tie for first place with Puso Dithejane in goals scored in this edition of the tournament. The Danish winger now has seven goals and 10 assists across all competitions in 2026 for Chicago.
- In the first matchup between the two sides, C.F. Monterrey came away with the victory, dealing Chicago Fire FC their first loss against a Liga MX side since 2024. Chicago is now 6-7-2 in official competitions against Mexican opposition all-time.
- Chicago Fire FC fell in the quarterfinal round of Leagues Cup for the second time in Club history. The Fire were one of only four MLS sides featured in the inaugural edition, falling to Cruz Azul 2-0 on July 23, 2019 in that round.
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Box Score:
C.F. Monterrey 2:1 Chicago Fire FC
Goals:
MTY - Guzmán (1) (Arteaga 1) (WATCH) 45+4’
CHI - Zinckernagel (2) (Gutman 1) (WATCH) 59’
MTY - Pineda (2) (WATCH) 83’
Discipline:
MTY - Salcedo (Caution) 29’
CHI - Brady (Caution) 37’
CHI - Zinckernagel (Caution) 45+3’
CHI - Salétros (Caution) 63’
CHI - Gutman (Caution) 80’
MTY - Rossi (Caution) 87’
MTY - RodrÃguez (Caution) 90+3’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Dean (Bamba, 84’), D Waterman, D Elliott (capt.), D Gutman, M Salétros, M D’Avilla (Pineda, 57’), M Oregel Jr. (Lod, 57’), F Zinckernagel, F Lewandowski, F Dithejane (Haile-Selassie, 72’)
Subs not used: GK Gal, GK Cohen, D Barroso, D Rogers, D Radojević, M Poreba, M Turdean, M Williams
Head Coach:Â Gregg Berhalter
C.F. Monterrey: GK Andrada, D Chávez, D Gúzman, D Salcedo, D Arteaga, M Ocampos, M Torres (AmbrÃz, 90+1’), M Pineda (de la Rosa, 90+5’), M Corona (capt.) (RodrÃguez, 86’), F Rossi (Reyes, 90+1’), F Cuypers (Orellano, 90+5’)
Subs not used: GK Cárdenas, GK Ramos, M Fimbres, M Aguirre, M Garza, M Gálvez, F Durdevic
Head Coach:Â Matias Almeyda
Stats Summary: MTY / CHI
Shots: 14 / 9
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Saves: 2 / 2
Passing Accuracy: 81.9% / 83.9%
Corners: 5 / 4
Fouls: 10 / 9
Offsides: 4 / 0
Possession: 50.8% / 49.2%
Venue:Â SeatGeek Stadium (Bridgeview, Ill.)
Attendance:Â 18,131
Referee: Rubiel Vázquez
Assistant Referees:Â Nick Uranga & Jose Da Silva
Fourth Official: Fernando Hernández Gómez
VAR: David Gómez Araya
AVAR:Â Jorge Abraham Camacho
