Match Recap: Mueller and Lod Score and Assist in Final Match of 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational against Portland Timbers

Indio, Calif. (Feb. 14, 2026) – Chicago Fire FC fell 4-3 against the Portland Timbers in the third and final match of the 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational on Saturday afternoon at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

Midfielder Robin Lod closed out the first half with his first goal of the preseason for his new side, assisted by winger Chris Mueller, who also scored to make it four goal contributions in Coachella. Lod also collected an assist on Maren Haile-Selassie’s 87th minute equalizer. 

Chicago opened with much of the possession, nearly cashing in on Maren Haile-Selassie’s bender in the 23rd minute that glanced off the far post. But just minutes before the end of the half, Mueller dribbled through pressure at the edge of the box, dumping a pass off to Lod at the top. The Finnish midfielder turned and shot a one-timer to tuck the ball underneath James Pantemis’ glove, scoring the only goal of the first half. 

Portland got on the board seconds into the first half, with midfielder Antony beating out a defender to the ball to get a clean look in front of Chris Brady’s goal. The Timbers then took the lead in the 56th minute, when forward Gage Guerra collected a rebound after a point-blank save by Brady to score off the bench. 

Mueller continued his hot form with his second goal of the Coachella Valley Invitational in the 63rd minute, when Zinckernagel slipped a ball for the Schaumburg native to finish from inside the box. Portland retook the lead just over 10 minutes later, when forward Felipe Mora volleyed home a rebound following another Antony run behind the Fire defense. 

With three minutes left in regulation time, Lod collected the ball in the Portland box following a scramble for the ball and laid off to Haile-Selassie, who finished his effort for the late equalizer. But after winning a corner kick in stoppage time, winger Ariel Lassiter’s service found the head of Mora to win the match as the teams turned their eyes to the start of the regular season next Saturday.

Next Match: Chicago Fire FC will open the 2026 MLS Regular Season on the road at Houston Dynamo FC on Saturday, Feb. 21. Kickoff at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed across the globe on Apple TV, and transmitted locally on wlsam.com (English) and Que Buena Fire via the Uforia App (Spanish).

Social: X - @chicagofire, @VamosFire (Hashtags: #cf97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook

Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 3:4 Portland Timbers

Goals:
CHI - Lod (1) (Mueller 2) 41’
POR - Antony (1) 47’
POR - Guerra (1) 56’
CHI - Mueller (2) (Zinckernagel 2) 63’
POR - Mora (1) 75’
CHI - Haile-Selassie (1) (Lod 1) 87’
POR - Mora (2) (Lassiter 1) 90+1’

Discipline:
CHI - Barroso (Caution) 30’
POR - Bye (Caution) 50'

Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Barroso, D Elliott (capt.), D Mbokazi, D Haile-Selassie, M Lod, M D’Avilla, M Salétros, M Hlyut (Glasgow, 67’), F Mueller, F Zinckernagel

Subs not used: GK Cohen

Head Coach: Gregg Berhalter

Portland Timbers: GK Pantemis, D Bye (Jura, 77’), D Bonetig (Miller, 69’), D Surman, D Fory, M Bassett, M Antony (Lassiter, 77’), M Chará (capt.) (Ortiz, 69’), F Lassiter (Mora, 46’), F Kelsy (Guerra, 46’), F Velde

Subs not used: GK Muse, GK Sulte, GK Joseph, D Smith, D Ondo, M Fernandez-Kim, M Santos, M VanVoorhis, M Nuñez, M Iziota

Head Coach: Phil Neville

Referee: Alexis Da Silva
Assistant Referees: Jeremy Hanson, Cameron Siler
Fourth Official: Jose Landa

Venue: Empire Polo Club (Indio, Calif.)