Zach Thornton will become the newest member of the Ring of Fire. ADAM PRETTY/GETTY IMAGES The Fire are looking forward to celebrating their past. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like their present is worth savoring. Before their game Saturday night at Soldier Field against Atlanta United, the Fire will induct former goalkeeper Zach Thornton into the Ring of Fire. Currently the Fire’s goalkeeping coach, Thornton was in the net for the team’s inaugural 1998 season, when it won the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. On Wednesday, Thornton reflected on the road he took to the honor. He recalled h ..read more

Fire coach Frank Klopas said Brian Gutierrez’s form is why he hasn’t started the past two matches. Courtesy of the Fire The Fire attack has sputtered the last three games, scoring once in open play. On Wednesday, coach Frank Klopas tried to explain why the offense has dried up. “The one thing is to be way more aggressive in the final third,” Klopas said. We have a tendency once we are able to penetrate and break lines, our ability to accelerate the game, our ability to get service in the box, our ability to get more numbers in the box, it’s been a big focus. Not only this week, but also ..read more

Last week, Chris Mueller made his first start in almost a year. Courtesy of the Fire Last year, Fire winger Chris Mueller knew his hip needed to be fixed to save his career. While it was difficult to handle missing most of the season, there was a hidden positive to his ordeal. In May, Mueller underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his right hip to shave down the head of the femur. Because of that impingement — a common ailment for the general population but one that can severely impact athletes — the joint tore away at the labrum of his hip and kept getting worse, reaching a bre ..read more

The Fire have showed glimpses, but have only one win in six matches. Courtesy of the Fire The first six games of the Fire’s season went as many expected. Faced with a difficult schedule, the Fire showed some promising glimpses but only won once and looked a step or two behind the top teams in the league. Now with the scheduling loosening up, the Fire have an opportunity to make up lost ground. The match Saturday at Soldier Field with the Houston Dynamo (3-1-1, 10 points) begins a stretch of four home games over the next five. Houston, last year’s U.S. Open Cup winners, has gotten off to ..read more

Xherdan Shaqiri is out of Saturday’s game against New England and will be playing for the Swiss national team. Courtesy of the Fire One of the pressing questions surrounding the Fire is whether they are actually better without their best-known player and would-be creative force in the midfield. Perhaps Saturday will provide a few more clues. Captain Xherdan Shaqiri will be with the Swiss national team to face Denmark on the same day the Fire (1-2-1, 4 points) visit the Revolution. Shaqiri, who in 2023 earned $8,153,000 in guaranteed compensation, according to the MLS Players Association ..read more

Chicago Fire forward Kellyn Acosta, left, celebrates with teammates Hugo Cuypers, rear, and Allan Arigoni (27) after scoring his game winning goal during the second half against CF Montréal at Soldier Field. Matt Marton/AP Kellyn Acosta scored from beyond midfield at the 99th minute on a misplayed ball by the keeper, and the Fire completed a stunning 4-3 comeback victory against CF Montreal on Saturday at Soldier Field for their first win of the season. With a strong wind off Lake Michigan, Acosta, a recent free-agent pickup, lofted the ball following a Montreal clear. Jonathan Sirois ra ..read more

Chris Brady and the Fire will play a rare afternoon game Saturday against CF Montreal. Courtesy of the Fire The Fire’s match Saturday at Soldier Field against CF Montreal is a relatively rare occurrence. No, there won’t be any mega-watt international star or some glitzy halftime performance to wow the crowd. Simply, the game will be played during the day. Since Major League Soccer moved its broadcast rights to Apple TV+ in 2023, the vast majority of matches have kicked off Saturday or Wednesday nights a little after 7:30 local time. Last season, the Fire had one kickoff before 5 p.m. The ..read more

Striker Hugo Cuypers (center) hasn’t gotten the service needed to score goals. Courtesy of the Fire The Fire reportedly spent a club-record $12 million to acquire striker Hugo Cuypers from Belgian side Gent. They were hoping Cuypers would become the dependable scorer that busts Robert Beric and Kacper Przybylko couldn’t, while also providing a steady target and holding up play when necessary. Through two games, Cuypers has just one shot and hasn’t made the impact the Fire expected. But that doesn’t mean Cuypers’ silence is his fault. Over their first 180 minutes, the Fire have struggled ..read more

The Fire’s Xherdan Shaqiri scores on a penalty kick to draw even late in the first half Saturday night at Soldier Field. Chicago Fire FC Wearing red kits Saturday night for the first time since Sept. 29, 2019, the Fire looked the best they have at home in almost five years. The result, however, looked pretty similar. Miles Robinson’s 68th-minute goal off a corner kick gave FC Cincinnati a 2-1 win over the Fire, who are still waiting for their first victory. In front of an announced crowd of 26,582, the Fire only mustered one shot on target. Yet coach Frank Klopas didn’t sound too downbea ..read more

After having blue primary kits for four years, the Fire are returning to their traditional red. Courtesy of the Fire For the first time since Sept. 29, 2019, the Fire will be in red uniforms with a broad white stripe across their chest when they host FC Cincinnati in their home opener Saturday night (7:30 p.m., Apple TV+, 890-AM). To coach Frank Klopas, the move back to the team’s traditional color scheme is about much more than just a new kit for a new season. “I love the red. That’s just the Fire, for me,” Klopas said. “[Red] is just a [Fire] color, and it reminds me of the old days, o ..read more