Chicago Fire FC II kicks off a two-game East Coast road trip with a visit to first-place New York Red Bulls II on Sunday, August 24.
The Fire arrive in New Jersey fresh off a massive 2-0 win against fellow Eastern Conference side Philadelphia Union II. In a tense match at SeatGeek Stadium, forward David Tchétchao broke through in the 81st minute, followed by Claudio Cassano’s 10th goal of the year just five minutes later. But the star of the game was Chicago Fire Academy goalkeeper David Molenda, who made seven saves and earned his first clean sheet to help the Fire reach six unbeaten in a row.
New York is back home after suffering a 4-2 loss to Eastern Conference rivals New England Revolution II in Foxborough. The teams traded goals in a back-and-forth match that was paced by Marcos Dias’ brace for the home side. The Red Bulls remained in first place of the East in spite of the loss, but with a tighter point margin with the final stretch in sight.
Chicago will hope for a repeat of the last meeting between the sides: a historic 9-2 victory on July 27 in Bridgeview that broke the MLS NEXT Pro record for most combined goals in one game.
Game Information
CHICAGO FIRE FC (11-5-5-3, 41 points) vs. New York Red Bulls II (13-5-4-2, 45 points)
Sunday, August 24, 2025
MSU Soccer Park – Montclair, N.J.
All-Time MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season Record vs. RBNY: (2-3-2-0)
Last Game vs. RBNY: July 27, 2025 (9-2 W) – SeatGeek Stadium – Bridgeview, Ill. (Match Recap)
Last Game at RBNY: April 6, 2024 (2-3 L) – MSU Soccer Park – Montclair, N.J. (Match Recap)
Player Spotlight: David Molenda
Chicago Fire Academy goalkeeper David Molenda has impressed in his first two matches with Chicago (Toronto FC)
Chicago Fire fans have been spoiled by the quality of goalkeepers its Academy has developed in recent years. Since Gaga Slonina became the youngest goalkeeper in Major League Soccer history to start a match in an Aug. 4, 2021 0-0 draw with New York City FC, multiple homegrown goalkeepers have made noise in national circles with both the first and second teams.
The latest is 16-year-old David Molenda, who was named MLS NEXT Rising Star of Matchweek 23 following his seven-save performance in a shutout win against Philadelphia Union II. The honor was Molenda’s first personal award of his career, coming after only his second start in MLS NEXT Pro. In his debut on July 20, the Academy goalkeeper recorded 13 saves in a 3-2 Fire victory at Toronto FC II. But an Academy goalkeeper receiving such an award could be considered old news; Molenda's teammate Patrick Los won the same award just weeks prior, following his third shutout of the year in a 1-0 win at Chattanooga FC on July 5.
