Chicago Fire (10-9-5, 35 points) earned a 1-0 shutout victory over the New York Red Bulls (9-10-6, 33 points) Saturday night at Soldier Field. Forward Hugo Cuypers tallied his 14th goal of the season for Chicago to help goalkeeper Chris Brady earn his seventh win of the year and second consecutive shutout victory this year.
Chicago was aggressive from the onset, powering eight shots in the first half. In the closing five minutes of the half, Cuypers forced a handball in the Red Bull box that awarded the Fire a penalty kick. The Belgian striker calmly finished to his left to put the Men in Red up 1-0 going into the second half.
The visitors were more aggressive in the second half, coming close to goal on several occasions. But Brady’s three saves and the Fire’s strong defensive form helped shut down the Red Bull attack for the second time in four matches, and Chicago earned a second clean sheet victory in a row.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago will enjoy a week off before hosting Los Angeles FC at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill. on Saturday, August 9. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and transmitted locally on wlsam.com (English) and Que Buena Fire via the Uforia App (Spanish).
Notes:
- Hugo Cuypers tallied a team-leading fifth game-winning goal this season. His five game-winning goals are the third-highest tally in a single season for the Fire, tying Andy Herron (2006) and Nemanja Nikolić (2017). Two more goals of a similar kind would tie the Fire’s single-season record, set by Ring of Fire member and all-time leading scorer Ante Razov in 1999.
- With 14 goals this year, Cuypers has scored the fifth most goals in a single Fire season, tying Razov (1999, 2002, 2003) and David Accam (2017). His 24 total goals through two seasons in Chicago rank seventh all-time in Fire history, just two behind the totals of Peter Nowak and Marco Pappa in sixth place.
- Goalkeeper Chris Brady recorded his third clean sheet of the season and 15th of his career Saturday night. The Homegrown goalkeeper also posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2024, when he and the Fire blanked New York City FC and FC Cincinnati on July 13 and 17, respectively.
- Chicago won its 10th game of the season with 10 remaining on the calendar. The Fire reached the mark for the first time since 2023 and for the third time since 2017, when the team won 16 matches en route to a playoff appearance.
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Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 1:0 New York Red Bulls
Goals:
CHI - Cuypers (14) (Penalty) (WATCH) 44’
Discipline:
RBNY - Forsberg (Yellow Card) 89’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Barroso, D Terán (González, 62’), D Elliott (capt.), D Gutman (Dean, 78’), M D’Avilla (Pineda, 74’), M Oregel Jr., M Gutiérrez (Kouamé, 62’), F Zinckernagel (Haile-Selassie, 62’), F Cuypers, F Bamba
Subs not used: GK Gal, M Acosta, M Glasgow, F Barlow
New York Red Bulls: GK Coronel, D Duncan (Mosquera, 81’), D Eile, D Hack, D Valencia (D. Nealis, 65’), M Donkor, M Edelman (Hall, 65’), M Gjengaar (Carmona, 35’), M Forsberg (capt.), M Sofo (Ngoma 82’), F Choupo-Moting
Subs not used: GK Marcucci, D S. Nealis, D Parker, M Stroud
Stats Summary: CHI / RBNY
Shots: 13 / 11
Shots on Goal: 6 / 3
Saves: 3 / 5
Passing Accuracy: 89.3% / 83.9%
Corners: 3 / 1
Fouls: 5 / 11
Offsides: 1 / 3
Possession: 49.4% / 50.6%
Referee: Allen Chapman
Assistant Referees: Ian McKay, Stephen McGonagle
Fourth Official: Natalie Simon
VAR: Jorge Gonzalez
AVAR: Jeff Muschik