Forward Hugo Cuypers also named to the Team of the Matchday Bench following two goals apiece for the Fire duo
CHICAGO (April 27, 2026) – Chicago Fire FC winger Philip Zinckernagel was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 10 following his three goal contributions in Saturday’s 5-0 victory against Sporting Kansas City at Soldier Field. Forward Hugo Cuypers was also named to the Team of the Matchday bench after scoring in a Fire-record sixth straight match.
The Danish winger earned his first appearance on the MLS Team of the Matchday in 2026 after recording his first multi-goal scoring appearance with the Fire. After a quiet first half, Zinckernagel opened the scoring in the 51st minute against Sporting KC when he pounced on the rebound for his third goal of 2026. He later sparked a series of touches between Robin Lod and Maren Haile-Selassie that found his feet, before taking out a defender with a deft touch that set him up for goal number two.
Zinckernagel did not stop there, receiving a ball in stride from Haile-Selassie in the right channel less than 15 minutes later. He looked up to see a wide-open Cuypers on the left wing who volleyed the ball home with his first touch to make it seven goals in six matches played. With the Fire record for most consecutive games with a goal in hand, Cuypers scored a stoppage-time goal to put the finishing touch on a 5-0 victory and gave him his third appearance on the MLS Team of the Matchday in 2026.
The honor is Zinckernagel’s ninth with the Fire overall and fifth on the Starting XI of the list. The 2025 team MVP was featured in eight Teams of the Matchday in his first year with the team, finishing the regular season with two consecutive mentions on the bench. For Cuypers, this is the second straight week on the bench after another brace in the 3-3 draw at FC Cincinnati on Saturday, April 18.
The MLS Team of Matchday 10 is as follows:
F: Kévin Denkey (CIN), Brian White (VAN), Sam Surridge (NSH)
M: Timo Werner (SJ), Marco Reus (LA), Philip Zinckernagel (CHI), Max Arfsten (CLB)
D:Â Kye Rowles (DC), Alex Bonetig (POR), Andy Najar (NSH)
GK:Â Matt Turner (NE)
Coach:Â Bruce Arena (SJ)
Bench: Roman Celentano (CIN), Sean Zawadzki (CLB), Tristan Muyumba (ATL), Timothy Tillman (LAFC), Carles Gil (NE), Hany Mukhtar (NSH), Jordan Morris (SEA), Hugo Cuypers (CHI), Myrto Uzuni (ATX)
The Men in Red face St. Louis CITY SC in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday, April 29, at SeatGeek Stadium. The Round of 16 match will be broadcast live on Paramount+. Chicago then plays host to FC Cincinnati in MLS regular season play on Saturday, May 2. Kickoff at Soldier Field is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on Apple TV. It will be transmitted locally on WLS 890 AM in English and the Uforia by TREBEL app in Spanish.
