Chicago Fire's Last Playoff XI: Where are they now?

In October of 2017, the Chicago Fire kicked off the MLS postseason with ambitions of claiming MLS Cup. It was a short-lived dream as the New York Red Bulls promptly ended it in 90 minutes with a 4-0 thumping in Bridgeview.

Eight years on, they’re looking to right that wrong. Ironically, the Fire returned to the playoffs by ending Red Bull's 16-year playoff qualification streak, and once again, they have a one-off matchup in Bridgeview, this time against a tumbling Orlando City. The Fire’s first postseason match in 2,919 days is an opportunity to make a splash and start a playoff run for the first time in a generation.

Today, we look back at the Fire’s last postseason starting XI from that 4-0 loss to the Red Bulls… and where they are now.

Goalkeeper: Matt Lampson

The biggest weak spot of the 2017 team that finished 3rd place in all of MLS was the goalkeeping department. The position saw a rotating door of starters under Veljko Paunović, and a shambolic Decision Day outing from Richard Sánchez meant that Lampson got the nod for the playoff game. It didn’t go well.

Lampson saw four goals fly past him that day. The goalkeeping position was not resolved by the Fire for several years, and it wasn’t until the emergence of homegrowns Gaga Slonina and Chris Brady that there was ever a stable presence between the posts. Lampson retired in 2021 after spells in Minnesota, Los Angeles, Columbus, and Hartford.

Left back: Brandon Vincent

One of the biggest what-ifs in MLS history is that of Vincent, who abruptly called his career quits at 24 despite being one of the top fullbacks in the league. He was a star in 2017, making 27 appearances for the Fire and earning a USMNT call-up.

The Wednesday night loss at Bridgeview would prove his only career playoff game as he retired after the 2018 season. He is now working outside of soccer.

Center back: João Meira

Meira proved to be a solid center back addition during the 2017 season, though he was substituted after 70 minutes in the playoff game with the Fire already down 2-0.

The Portuguese journeyman defender played for several clubs after leaving Chicago, spending the last several years of his career in his homeland before retiring in 2023. He served as Leixões' sporting director between 2023 and 2025.

Center back: Johan Kappelhof

Kappelhof was a top center back for the Fire in 2017 and was named an All-Star during the season. Like the rest of his teammates, he had a poor outing on the night, but would eventually be the last remaining member of the 2017 roster to stay with the club before he departed in 2021.

The Dutchman has never officially retired, but he’s now 35 and has been without a club for over a year. He had a six-game stint with Real Salt Lake after leaving the Fire (during which he finally managed to score his first MLS goal) and last played for Safa in the Lebanese Premier League.

Right back: Matt Polster

Throughout 2017, Polster was an extremely reliable presence at fullback, despite naturally being a defensive midfielder. It was his third MLS season, and performances throughout the year earned a move to Rangers in 2018.

Within two years he was back in the United States and signed with New England Revolution, with whom he won the Supporters Shield in 2021. He is now 32 and one of just two players in the Fire lineup from their last playoff game who are still active.

Defensive midfield: Dax McCarty

The captain of the Fire from 2017 to 2019, McCarty brought veteran MLS experience to the Fire's midfield throughout the year and played 90 minutes in the lone playoff game. The season came to an end at the hands of his former team, the Red Bulls, who traded McCarty to make way for the ascent of a young Tyler Adams.

McCarty was moved to Nashville following the 2019 season and spent a further five seasons in the league, playing first for Nashville and then Atlanta. He retired in 2024 and is now working with Apple TV.

Central midfield: Djordje Mihailovic

A young Mihailovic started the game due to Bastian Schweinsteiger not being at full match fitness. The 18-year-old midfielder, who had signed a homegrown contract at the start of the season to ward off European interest, slowly broke into the first team over the course of the season and was eventually trusted with a high-profile start due to Schweinstieger's minutes restriction. It was a heartbreaking night for the young talent, who suffered the biggest setback in his career when he tore his ACL early in the second half.

Since then, Mihailovic has established himself as a leading talent in MLS, starring with the Fire from 2017 to 2020, Montréal in 2021 and 2022, and later in Colorado and Toronto. He ensured that Wednesday's Wild Card game would be played in Bridgeview thanks to his pair of goals against Orlando City last Saturday that secured a 4-2 win on Decision Day.

Attacking midfield: Juninho

The Fire's best performer on that day in 2017, Juninho spent the season on loan in Chicago from Club Tijuana. He appeared 21 times that season but returned to his parent club at the conclusion of the MLS campaign.

Juninho returned to his former team, the L.A. Galaxy, to end his career and made two appearances in 2019. Post-retirement, he stayed with the Galaxy as an academy coach.

Left wing: David Accam

Accam was an attacking dynamo for the Fire during his time with the club, but his lone playoff game in Chicago was not one to write home about. The Ghanaian winger was totally anonymous for 90 minutes and had no impact on the match after a slow finish to the regular season.

Though a supremely talented player, Accam never again reached the heights he did in the summer of 2017. He spent time with Philadelphia, Columbus, Nashville, Hammarby, and Inter Turku. He retired in 2022 at the age of 32 following his final spell in the Finnish league.

Right wing: Luis Solignac

Another journeyman forward who spent his prime with the Fire, Solignac appeared 62 times for the club between 2016 and 2018. He started the playoff game and played the full match, but struggled to make an impact.

2018 was Soliganc's final season in MLS as he dropped down to USL shortly thereafter. He spent time with San Antonio, San Luis (Chile), and El Paso Locomotive before returning to San Antonio to finish his career there in 2024. He is now retired.

Center forward: Nemanja Nikolić

Nikolić's 2017 season stood statistically as the Fire's best-ever until his league goal contribution record of 28 was smashed by Philip Zinckernagel earlier this month. The ex-Hungarian international is the second-best goalscorer in club history, notching 56 strikes across three seasons between 2017 and 2019.

Nikolić featured at Euro 2020 and had spells in Hungary, Turkey, and Cyprus before retiring in 2023. A few days ago, he completed a UEFA MIP course, which helps prepare former players for a second career within football. He has remained a presence within Hungarian football since his retirement as well.

Substitute: Bastian Schweinsteiger

A man who needs no introduction, Schweinsteiger was the highest-profile player on the 2017 team and a key cog both on and off the field. It shouldn't be a surprise, therefore, that without him due to a lingering injury, Red Bull jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first round playoff match, and there's only so much he could have done to change it when he entered to replace the hurt Djordje Mihailovic.

Schweinsteiger spent two further seasons in Chicago before retiring after the 2019 season. He returned to Europe immediately thereafter to become an on-air analyst for ARD in Germany and now resides in Mallorca.

Substitute: Arturo Álvarez

Álvarez was already nearing the end of his career when he joined the Fire in 2016, and the playoff game against the Red Bulls proved to be his final game with the club. Álvarez was a 70th-minute attacking substitute but had little impact on the game.

After spending one season with the Houston Dynamo in 2018, the ex-El Salvador international retired.

Substitute: David Arshakyan

Arshakyan was a puzzling addition for the Fire and struggled to live up to the hype throughout his time in Chicago. The Armenian forward was a second half replacement for Juninho, and the 20-minute cameo was also his final game for the club.

After leaving MLS, the former Fire #10 fell off the face of the earth. He bounced from league to league, playing in random lower leagues across Europe, including in Denmark, Croatia, Russia, and Lithuania. In the eight years since he featured in an MLS playoff game, he has played for 10 different clubs, including several different teams in his home nation of Armenia. He has been a free agent since the end of 2024, when he was released by FC Maxline Vitebsk in the Belarusian second league.

Manager: Veljko Paunović

Paunović's tenure is generally not considered a success because the Fire did not win a playoff game during his four seasons, but he is easily the best and most high-profile coach the team had for 15+ years prior to the arrival of Gregg Berhalter in 2025. His best season in 2017 came to an unfortunate end, and dampened the memory of what was otherwise an unbelievable MLS season.

Since he was fired at the end of 2019, Paunović has built up a solid coaching résumé, managing Reading, Chivas de Guadalajara, Tigres, and, most-recently, Real Oviedo. The Serb led Oviedo back to the Spanish top flight for the first time in over 20 years last spring after an incredible mid-season turnaround. He started the Primera División season well but was shockingly sacked last week.

His assistant coach in Chicago, Marko Mitrović, is the U.S. U-20 national team coach and just led that team to a FIFA U-20 World Cup quarterfinal despite a limited talent pool.

New York Red Bulls

The Red Bulls lineup featured a flurry of familiar faces from within MLS. Former Fire midfielder and current Canada head coach Jesse Marsch was their coach, not long before leaving to become an assistant at RB Leipzig.

An 18-year-old Tyler Adams started at right wing back, and he is now a star midfielder for the U.S. Men's National Team. It was a breakout game for the teenager, who notched an assist in the 4-0 triumph. Former USMNT players Aaron Long and Sacha Kljestan were also on the field, with the latter adding a goal and an assist. Bradley Wright-Phillips started up front and scored, ensuring that three current Apple TV in-studio headliners were on the field between the two sides.

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