Captain Jack Elliott tied the match in his first postseason return to Subaru Park before The Union took game one in a penalty kick shootout
Chester, Pa. (Oct. 26, 2025) – Chicago Fire FC earned a 2-2 draw against Philadelphia Union on Sunday afternoon at Subaru Park before falling 4-2 in a penalty kick shootout. With the result, Chicago trails 1-0 in the Round One Best-of-3 series, with a match at SeatGeek Stadium to follow on Saturday.
Winger Jonathan Bamba scored his first postseason goal for the Fire in the 84th minute before defender Jack Elliott scored the equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage.
It was the first postseason encounter between the two Eastern Conference sides, who ended a tense first half scoreless, with the Fire holding the Union to zero shots on goal while forcing Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake to make a save in the 39th minute.
The hosts broke through in the 70th minute with a goal from Indiana Vassilev, followed by one from Milan Iloski in the 75th.
Chicago pulled one back when the Fire earned a corner kick. Maren Haile-Selassie sent a ball from the left side to the far post where Jack Elliott headed it toward goal. Blake was able to make the save but not clear the ball, which eventually fell to Bamba who sent it to the back of the net.
Elliott tallied in the fourth minute of stoppage time after Philadelphia fouled Chicago outside of the box. The shot hit the wall and bounced back to Bamba, who tapped it back for the former Union defender. Elliott blasted a low rocket past Blake and into the lower right corner, scoring his fourth postseason goal in the process to send the match to a shootout.
Goalkeeper Chris Brady kicked off the shootout with a save, but the Union scored their remaining four shots to take it 4-2, taking a 1-0 lead in the series to Bridgeview on Saturday.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago Fire FC continues the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One Best-of-3 with a home match against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, Nov. 1. Kickoff at SeatGeek Stadium is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT. A deciding third game, if necessary, will be played on Saturday, Nov. 8 back in Subaru Park at a time yet to be determined.
MLS Season Pass and Apple TV will broadcast every match of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. MLS Season Pass is available through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on the web at tv.apple.com. The match will be transmitted locally on WLS 890 AM (English) and Que Buena Fire via the Uforia App (Spanish).
Notes:
- Tonight was the first time in franchise history for Chicago to come back to secure a draw in a postseason game after trailing by 2 or more goals.
- Defender Jack Elliott tallied the fourth postseason goal of his career, but first with Chicago Fire FC. The longtime Union defender scored his first playoff goal since his two with Philadelphia in MLS Cup 2022, the latter of which also came in stoppage time of added extra time.
- Unavailable for the match were defenders Leonardo Barroso (lower body) and Viktor Radojević (lower body); midfielders André Franco (lower body)and Chris Mueller (not due to injury); and winger Philip Zinckernagel (lower body).
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Box Score:
Philadelphia Union 2(4):(2)2 Chicago Fire FC
Shootout:
Chicago: Elliott (saved), Gutiérrez (scored), Cuypers (scored), Waterman (missed)
Philadelphia: Uhre (saved), Westfield (scored), Iloski (scored), Baribo (scored), Bueno (scored)
Goals:
PHI - Vassilev (1) (Uhre 1, Iloski 1) (WATCH) 70’
PHI - Iloski (1) (Baribo 1) (WATCH) 75’
CHI - Bamba (1) (Gutman 1) (WATCH) 84’
CHI - Elliott (1) (Bamba 1) (WATCH) 90+3’
Discipline:
CHI - Waterman (Yellow Card) 67’
PHI - Lukic (Yellow Card) 74’
CHI - Elliott (Yellow Card) 89’
PHI - Glesnes (Yellow Card) 90+1
CHI - Oregel Jr. (Red Card Ejection) 90+3’
CHI - Gutierrez (Yellow Card) 90+4’
PHI - Wagner (Yellow Card) 90+4’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Dean (Barlow, 90’), D Rogers (Gutiérrez, 72’), D Waterman, D Elliott (capt.), D Gutman, M Kouamé (Oregel Jr., 72’), M D’Avilla (Pineda, 67’), F Haile-Selassie, F Cuypers, F Bamba
Subs not used: GK Gal, M Acosta, D González, D Reynolds
Philadelphia Union: GK Blake (capt.), D Harriel (Westfield, 64’), D Glesnes, D Makhanya, D Wagner, M Lukic, M Vassilev, M Jean Jacques, M Iloski, F Baribo, F Damiani (F Uhre, 64’)
Subs not used: GK Rick, M Sullivan, M Bueno, M Bedoya, D Mbaizo, M Bender, F Donovan
Stats Summary: PHI / CHIShots: 16 / 13
Shots on Goal: 2 / 5
Saves: 3 / 0
Passing Accuracy: 79.7% / 72.9%
Corners: 7 / 5
Fouls: 8 / 12
Offsides: 2 / 1
Attendance: 19,019
Referee: Sergii Boiko
Assistant Referees: Adam Wienckowski, Jeffrey Swartzel
Fourth Official: Marcos DeOliveira II
VAR: Kevin Stott
AVAR: Fabio Tovar
