Chicago Fire to Face Minnesota United in Open Cup Quarterfinal
The Chicago Fire will face Minnesota United on the road in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. The draw was conducted early this morning live on CBS.
The Fire advanced to the quarterfinals with a dominant 3-1 win over the New England Revolution on Tuesday. After the win they were placed in the “Western” region for the quarterfinals and semifinals alongside Austin, Minnesota, and San Jose. The Fire gave up hosting rights for the quarterfinals as Soldier Field is unavailable and will also play the semifinal on the road if they advance. Should the Fire win three straight road games and reach the final, they would host.
Minnesota qualified for this stage with a 3-2 win last night over St. Louis City. They have never won the competition before and are seeking their first piece of major silverware. Nonetheless, the Loons are on a hot run of form, winning five of their last six matches including a 4-1 home victory over Inter Miami. Their best-ever finish was reaching the final in 2019, where they lost to Atlanta United.
The Fire have faced Minnesota several times since they came into the league in 2017, and the 3-1-3 record indicates a mixed set of results. The most recent meeting was a 3-2 win in the 2023 Leagues Cup group stage in which Xherdan Shaqiri, Arnaud Souquet, and Kei Kamara all sparked an exciting comeback. Incidentally, that is the Fire's only win at Allianz Field. The Men in Red will also face Minnesota again later this season, as they will face off in St. Paul on September 20th in MLS Regular Season play.
Specific details for the quarterfinal matches could be announced as soon as later today. The matches will be scheduled between July 8th and 9th, and the Fire-Minnesota game will be played at Minnesota's St. Paul home of Allianz Field.
