Cuypers could miss Chicago Fire trip, DC United still without Benteke | OneFootball

Chicago Fire striker Hugo Cuypers is questionable for Saturday night's visit to D.C. United, removing more attacking firepower from a fixture that two months ago looked like it would be a meeting of two of the league's top scorers.

Reigning MLS Golden Boot winner and Cuypers' Belgian compatriot Christian Benteke has already been nursing an ankle injury that has kept him out for D.C. since May 14. According to the MLS Player Status Report for Matchday 18, Benteke remains out while Cuypers' status is unclear based on an unspecified lower-body issue.

Cuypers scored his team-leading ninth and 10th goals in Chicago's 3-1 win at Orlando City last weekend in a 75-minute shift. The 28-year-old has appeared in all 15 of the Fire's previous matches so far, and he's one of five MLS players tied for third in the 2025 MLS Golden Boot race, three goals back of Philadelphia's Tai Baribo.

Who can fill the void?

The Fire have found a secondary scorer in offseason acquisition Philip Zinckernagel, who also scored in the win in Orlando and now has six MLS tallies. But between additional injury issues and international call-ups, manager Gregg Berhalter's side could be as many as 10 players.

D.C. is still looking for its supplementary threats to emerge in the absence of Benteke, who has six goals this league season after topping MLS with 23 during the 2024 campaign. Hosei Kijima, Joao Peglow and Gabriel Pirani all have scored twice, with Pirani's contributions coming in the last two matches.

Chicago and D.C. played to a dramatic 2-2 draw at Soldier Field on March 1. Cuypers had a brace and Benteke also scored, but the points were shared after Jacob Murrell's incredible, overhead-kick leveler in second-half stoppage time.