Chicago Fire FC 2026 Season Preview

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Major League Soccer

·16 de febrero de 2026

Chicago Fire FC 2026 Season Preview

By MLSsoccer staff

2026 Schedule

First game: Feb. 21 - 8:30 pm ET at Houston Dynamo FC
Home opener: Feb. 28 - 2:30 pm ET vs. CF Montréal
Full schedule
Watch on Apple TV

Team Snapshot

Fresh off their first Audi MLS Cup Playoffs trip since 2017, the Chicago Fire have serious momentum under head coach/director of football Gregg Berhalter.

OneFootball Videos

They've laid a strong foundation with the likes of Hugo Cuypers, Philip Zinckernagel , and Jonathan Bamba, and made several targeted signings to pursue consistency.

Key Signings

Puso Dithejane: A rising South African winger, Dithejane inked a U22 Initiative deal after impressing with TS Galaxy in his home country.
Robin Lod: The 2024 MLS All-Star spent the past seven seasons with Minnesota United FC. Lod is their leading scorer with 41g/28a in 185 appearances.
Mbekezeli Mbokazi: The South African international center back was acquired from Orlando Pirates in his home country. The 2026 FIFA World Cup hopeful is on a U22 Initiative deal.
Anton Salétros: The Swedish international midfielder arrives from Swedish top-flight side AIK, where he tallied 19g/23a in 226 matches.

Full roster

Adding a veteran presence to the midfield 🔥 #cf97
– viernes, 7 de noviembre de 2025

Key Departures

Kellyn Acosta: The former USMNT midfielder and Chicago agreed to a mutual contract termination. He’s now with Pogoń Szczecin in Poland’s Ekstraklasa.
Tom Barlow: The veteran, industrious forward signed with FC Cincinnati in free agency.
Brian Gutiérrez: The homegrown midfielder was transferred to LIGA MX giants Chivas de Guadalajara. He departed with 21g/25a in 164 games.
Rominigue Kouamé: The Ivorian midfielder's loan from Cádiz CF expired.