CHICAGO — One of the biggest regular season matches in club history could be without the star attraction - and Chicago Fire FC is quite aware of that. With Inter Miami CF's Lionel Messi dealing with an unspecified leg injury that's left his status for Wednesday's match at Soldier Field up in the air, the club has released a statement about how they plan to make good for fans if the superstar doesn't play. Regardless of whether Messi plays or not, the Fire are offering a $250 credit towards memberships (season tickets) for the 2024 season at Soldier Field or a $50 account credit to buyers of si ..read more

CHICAGO — Thanks to an injury, there is now a question as to whether the world's greatest soccer player will indeed take the pitch at Soldier Field Wednesday night. An injury could force Lionel Messi to sit out that match against Chicago Fire FC. It's very possible that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner for world player of the year and 2022 World Cup champion for Argentina could be on the bench for Inter Miami CF in one of the most anticipated matches in Fire history. Messi is dealing with a leg injury that forced him to miss the MLS club's last three games and four of his last five. On Satur ..read more

CHICAGO - If they want to go to the postseason in another year filled with ups and downs, they'd best have a playoff mindset now. That's because Chicago Fire FC has seven matches between Saturday and October 21, and every point matters in their quest to end a six-year playoff drought. This is especially true as the club is in the midst of a losing streak where they've dropped in the Eastern Conference standings. "Every game we play is a playoff game," said manager Frank Klopas of his team. We can't hide from that. You can't sugarcoat that. The players see the standings. They know where we are ..read more

CHICAGO — The biggest story in Major League Soccer in 2023 concerns the greatest player in the world joining its Miami franchise, and he's going to make a stop in Chicago. Lionel Messi's appearance at Soldier Field on Wednesday, October 4 with Inter Miami CF has already created plenty of buzz - and ticket sales - for Chicago Fire FC. "You probably could not have scripted his arrival any better, right," said Fire president of business operations David Baldwin of Messi. "He's scored in most of the games, he's had some game-winning assists. It's been really exciting for the league as a whole." E ..read more

CHICAGO — Community members are fighting back, even as construction starts on a new Chicago Fire FC soccer team training facility. At issue is 25 acres of public land on the Near West Side, owned by the Chicago Housing Authority, once part of the ABLA Homes demolished years ago. In recent months, the CHA leased the land to the Chicago Fire FC soccer club as part of a 40-year agreement to develop a new practice facility. Fire FC paid $8 million upfront with an annual graduated fee to be paid down the line ..read more

CHICAGO — For Chicago's two professional soccer teams, it's been all about tournaments over the past month. But now Chicago Fire FC and the Chicago Red Stars are ready to get back to work in the regular season, hoping to keep their campaigns going as long as possible. Both teams return to regular season play on Sunday, both doing so against teams from Orlando, as each hopes to find a way into their respective postseasons. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Chicago Fire FC played in three games in the Leagues Cup over the past month, getting out of the group stage before losing to Club America on August 4 ..read more

CHICAGO — While the biggest tournament in the world of women's soccer is taking place in Australia and New Zealand, another is being played out in North America. That one involves Chicago Fire FC and is in its third year of being staged, only this year in a much bigger way. The 2023 Leagues Cup is taking place in United States and Canada, featuring teams from Major League Soccer and Mexico's Liga MX. For the first time this year, every team from both leagues will participate in the tournament that started on July 21 and will run through August 19. To accommodate the added teams, MLS will take ..read more

CHICAGO - At the moment, it's easy to argue that the professional team with the most momentum in the Chicago area is playing at Soldier Field. That hasn't been the case that often over the last decade, but Chicago Fire FC has had one of its best stretches of success since they last made the postseason in 2017. Saturday provided another example of that in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. After failing on a few chances to put in the go-ahead goal against Toronto FC at Soldier field, Miguel Navarro sent a ball into the box in the 90th minute for Kacper Przyzbylko. The striker, who'd entered t ..read more

CHICAGO - On this Father's Day in 2023, some will celebrate the day by enjoying attending or watching a sporting event. But there are a number of fathers who will be taking part or playing a part in one of these athletic competitions over the weekend. It once again calls to mind the balancing act that those people have in either amateur or professional sports when it comes to their home life and their passion. Dave Baldwin has certainly faced that as he moved to Chicago to become the President of Business Operations for Chicago Fire FC. The executive, who was previously the chief ticketing of ..read more

CHICAGO — The second weekend of June featured some heartbreak on the south side, a near no-no for the Cubs out west, along with a rough weekend for Chicago's WNBA squad and soccer teams. Here's a wrap-up of what happened in Chicago sports this weekend. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) Kyle Hendricks had the highlight of the weekend in what was a more positive than negative end to the Cubs' 10-game west coast road trip on Saturday. The pitcher had a no-hitter through 7 2/3 innings before Mitch Haniger's double broke up the veteran's attempt for his first career "no-no." It was still a ..read more