CHICAGO (April 4, 2026) – Chicago Fire FC (3-2-1, 10 points) earned a 1-0 victory over Nashville SC (4-1-1, 13 points) on Saturday night at Soldier Field.
Winger Philip Zinckernagel tallied the fastest goal in Fire history 17 seconds into the match, enough to win the match following goalkeeper Chris Brady’s third clean sheet of the season.
Chicago jumped out to a lead within seconds of the opening whistle. Winger Maren Haile-Selassie jumped on a short pass in the final third to spark a sequence that ended with a cross from Jonathan Bamba to the far post. It was there that Zinckernagel collected the ball to blast home the opening goal of the match before Nashville could settle in.
With the wind howling off the lakefront and temperatures dropping, the match became a defensive showdown between two of the best backlines in the league. Brady shined brightest in the 74th minute, when he palmed Hany Mukhtar’s free kick over the crossbar to maintain his shutout. The heroics continued through the 90th minute, when Brady stopped a Jeisson Palacios header at the line to keep Nashville off the board for good, handing the Boys in Gold their first loss of the season.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago will remain at home for an Eastern Conference clash against Atlanta United FC on Saturday, April 11. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on Apple TV and transmitted locally on wlsam.com, Uforia by TREBEL app and 106.7 FM HD2.
Notes:
- Philip Zinckernagel tallied the fastest goal in Fire history at 17 seconds, a full eight seconds faster than Jamar Beasley (2001) and Domini Oduro (2012). His first goal of the season was also the 10th fastest in league history, one second off eighth-place Conor Casey (Colorado, 2009) and Pedro Vite (Vancouver, 2023).
- Homegrown goalkeeper Chris Brady recorded the 20th shutout of his regular season career and third of the season. Brady recorded four saves in a Man-of-the-Match performance that also gave the Fire their first win against Nashville since July 8, 2023.
- Fresh off a call-up to the South Africa Men’s National Team, Mbekezeli Mbokazi anchored the backline throughout all 90 minutes of the match. He was paired with captain Jack Elliott from the start before 17-year-old center back Christopher Cupps filled in for Elliott in the 62nd minute, contributing to the team’s third shutout of the year.
- One match after recording his second game-winning goal of the season, winger Jonathan Bamba recorded his first game-winning assist of 2026 setting up Zinckernagel’s goal. It was also midfielder Anton Salétros’ first game-winning assist, as he set up Bamba’s cross to Zinckernagel seconds into the game.
- Jason Shokalook entered the match in place of Maren Haile-Selassie in the 81st minute, recording his fourth career appearance with the Fire. However, this was Shokalook’s first appearance at Soldier Field, having made his MLS debut in Washington, D.C. in 2025 and two other appearances on the road this season.
- Forward Hugo Cuypers (Head); midfielders Chris Mueller (Not Due to Injury) and André Franco (Lower Body); and defender Sam Rogers (Lower Body) were unavailable for selection on Saturday. Defender Joel Waterman was a late scratch during pre-game warmups and became unavailable for selection shortly before the match.
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Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 1:0 Nashville SC
Goals:
CHI - Zinckernagel (1) (Bamba 1, Salétros 1) (WATCH) 1’
Discipline:
CHI - Salétros (Caution) 72’
CHI - D’Avilla (Caution) 78’
NSH - Tagseth (Caution) 80’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Barroso, D Elliott (capt.) (Cupps, 81’), D Mbokazi, D Gutman, M Salétros (capt.), M D’Avilla, M Zinckernagel (Radojević, 90+1’), F Haile-Selassie (Shokalook, 81’), F Lod, F Bamba
Subs not used: GK Cohen, D Dean, M Pineda, M Oregel Jr., F DithejaneÂ
Head Coach: Gregg Berhalter
Nashville SC: GK Schwake, D Nájar, D Woledzi, D Palacios, D Lovitz (Baker-Whiting, 78’), M Muyl (Madrigal, 61’), M Corcoran (Yazbek, 61’), M Tagseth (Pacius, 89’), M Mukhtar (capt.), M Espinoza (Qasem, 78’), F Surridge
Subs not used: GK Willis, D Maher, D Bauer, M AcostaÂ
Head Coach: B.J. Callaghan
\\Stats Summary: CHI / NSH
\\Shots: 9 / 10
Shots on Goal: 3 / 4
Saves: 4 / 2
Passing Accuracy: 82.2% / 85.8%
Corners: 1 / 3
Fouls: 19 / 13
Offsides: 3 / 3
Possession: 41.7% / 58.3%
Venue: Soldier Field (Chicago)
Attendance: 15,932
Referee: Marcos De Oliveira II
Assistant Referees: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt
Fourth Official: Jon Freemon
VAR: Carol Anne Chenard
AVAR: Melissa Beck
