TTWith MLS halfway through its 30th season, the Chicago Fire have 22 points and are sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, two places, and three points, out of the final postseason spot.

That isn’t really the whole story, however: The Fire have played just 15 games, two fewer than every other team in the conference save New England and Miami. If the Fire win both of their games-in-hand against the field, then after 17 games, they could be as high as 5th, displacing the Columbus Crew – widely considered to be one of the league’s premier teams at the start of the season – on tiebreakers.

But they have to win those games, starting with this Saturday’s matchup against D.C. United. D.C. were the team’s first opponent at home this year. When they last met, in the Fire’s home opener, the Fire looked set for a 2-1 victory and their first win of the season when an improbable second-half stoppage time goal by D.C.’s Jacob Murrell leveled the match and left both teams with a 2-2 draw.

Even when it looked like it was going to end up with a Fire victory, it was a not entirely convincing match for the Fire. That opinion is shared by Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter, who speaking to reporters on Thursday said “I wasn't happy at all how we played in that D.C game. We talk about a heartbreak, but in reality, we didn't deserve to win that game. You know, a point might have been even generous.”

In reality, however, the team should expect to beat D.C. United. Both teams will be missing a number of players given that the match is occurring during the June international window, but D.C. may well be without star forward Christian Benteke, who has missed time with an injury.

One issue that has killed the Fire in recent years has been the team’s inability to emerge with wins in games where they had the talent to carry the day. You have to win the games you should win. The reality is, for the team’s talent level and stated ambition, this is a game the Fire should win.

Series History

All time: 23W-22D-27LLast match: March 1, 2025: Chicago Fire FC 2-2 D.C. UnitedLast away match: May 25, 2024: D.C. United 1-1 Chicago Fire at Audi Field, Washington, D.C.

What to Expect

D.C. United

D.C. United are coming off of one of their most impressive results of the season, a 2-1 victory over F.C. Cincinnati. The win was rendered all the more impressive by the fact that D.C. were once again playing without Christian Benteke, whose last appearance came on May 14th against New York City. He left after just 20 minutes with an ankle injury, and has missed the four games since.

If he is out – or on limited minutes – it’s a massive loss for D.C. United: He had (still has, in fact) six goals on the season, and when he was subbed off with injury, the rest of his team combined had scored seven goals. Add Benteke’s one assist, and he’d been involved with more than half of D.C.’s total offensive output on the year.

Including the game against New York, his team has failed to find the back of the net in three of their five league games since he was hurt. The game against Cincinnati was the first time they’d discord multiple goals in his absence.

The offense centers around Benteke, but slowly, the defense has started to stabilize, and despite their poor record, D.C. have generally been losing close games where they’ve been defensively sound, rather than getting blown out. (They did have a 6-1 loss at the hands of the San Jose Earthquakes in early April, a close parallel, in some ways, to the Fire’s 7-2 loss to Nashville. One game does not a season make.)

Plus, a win against FC Cincinnati isn’t quite the impressive feat that it would’ve seemed this season, considering the mini-slump the team’s found itself in.

Still, they’ll be missing starting center-back Aaron Herrera and starting midfielder Boris Enow due to international duty, and that could well challenge their defensive stability. Add in a Benteke that is likely something less than 100% if he’s there at all, and this remains a game the Fire should feel confident going in to.

Chicago Fire

Meanwhile, the Chicago Fire are missing players in key positions. Chris Brady has been confirmed on the Gold Cup roster for the U.S. Men’s National Team, meaning he will not only miss this match, but potentially up to five games as MLS plays league matches even as CONCACAF hosts the region’s tournament on the same shores.

Berhalter, who has been on both sides of the issue during his time coaching the USMNT as well as in MLS, isn’t a fan of the fact that both go on simultaneously, saying simply “we shouldn't be playing during this major tournament,” before adding, “, think about next year. So things need to be done, you, during World Cups, during regional tournaments, and it's more ideal to be aligned from a calendar standpoint. In my opinion, from a technical standpoint, it makes a lot of sense to align, so you're not missing some of your top players.”

That means that Jeff Gal will be given the nod in net. Gal’s first MLS minutes came when Chris Brady was issued a red card against Orlando City, and his first start came the following week against Atlanta. Over the two matches, the Chicagoland native proved competent in goal, though this stretch – and the opponents the Fire will face in that time – will be a stern test for the veteran goalkeeper.

The Fire will also be without winger-cum-wingback Omari Glasgow, called up to the Guyanese national team, as well as Sergio Oregel Jr. and Christopher Cupps, both of whom are with different ages of the U.S. Youth National Team. Mauricio Pineda will also be out, missing the game due to yellow card accumulation.

The team’s most acute losses are at center-back: Although Carlos Terán has started working out once more, he isn’t yet near his return. Sam Rogers, who has had the lion’s share of starts alongside locked-in starter Jack Ellott, has missed time with a back issue, and it’s unclear – though somewhat unlikely – that he’ll be ready for Saturday. Christopher Cupps has been the next man up, but, well, he’s with the USYNT. Omar González is a game-proven option, but Gregg Berhalter has been hesitant to give the 36-year-old former MLS Defender of the Year lengthy run outs this season.

My bet is that we see Rogers in the Starting XI and have González on to see out the match. Gregg Berhalter has also said that Vitaliy Hlyut and Jason Shokalook, two promising Fire II players, are likely to get short-term callups to bolster the team’s roster against D.C.

Brian Gutiérrez has a chance to make amends on the field

In addition to Hlyut and Shokalook, the Fire are getting one player back, however: Brian Gutiérrez will return, having served his one game suspension after being issued a red card two weeks ago. Gutiérrez can be a game changer. “He’s one of the more talented players I've seen around,” Berhalter said of the 21-year-old. “But there's been some issues with consistency, and then there's been some, you know, emotional control issues and decisions on the field that you know, hurt the team.”

“He apologized to the group, which I think was big of him, and we're ready to move forward.” And how to do that? “When he gets the opportunity, it's about performing. There's tasks that you need to do in each position, roles and responsibilities, and he needs to fulfill those tasks.”

Those tasks are centered around two jobs: First, to make himself set the tempo of the team’s offense, as they attempt to play out of the back against D.C.’s press, and second,  to take care of defensive responsibilities – a skillset we hadn’t extensively seen out of Gutiérrez before this year but one where he’s started showing signs of competency, if not excellence.

If he does that and connects with the Fire’s increasingly-well-regarded offensive trio of Jonathan Bamba, Hugo Cuypers and Philip Zinckdernagel, they should leave Audi Field happier than they left Soldier Field in their second game of the season.

Projected Starting XI

Match Information and How to Watch

Date and Time: Saturday, June 7th 2025, 6:30 PM CTForecast: Clear with temperatures in mid-70sLocation: Audi Field, Washington, D.C. TV: Apple TV – MLS Season Pass