After three games at the team’s two homes and the team’s first win in just under two months, the Fire head south to Nashville for their first game against the ‘Yotes this season, looking for their first-ever win in Nashville.

They’ll face a very different team than the one that beat them in Nashville last year – that team was a perennial playoff team looking for the next step. This one is a team that’s worked its way to the conference’s basement and which is desperately trying to get any kind of footing.

Series History

All time: 1W-2D-2LLast Match: July 8, 2023: Fire 1-0 Nashville at Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.Last Away Match: May 6, 2023: Nashville 3-0 Fire at Geodis Park, Nashville, Tenn.

Recent Form

Nashville SC

On Saturday Nashville beat Atlanta United in Atlanta to give the team their first win since June 22nd. It’s also the first victory for new Head Coach BJ Callaghan, who was announced as Head Coach July 3rd but who didn’t start serving in the dugout until the Leagues Cup. Nashville are now 1W-0D-8L since Callaghan was named in MLS, with two additional losses (one in PKs) in the Leagues Cup.

Fire

The Fire earned their first win in nearly two months with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls, giving the team their first post-Leagues Cup win.

The Storyline

The Fire’s current era began in 2020, with Joe Mansueto firmly in control as the sole owner, Georg Heitz as the team’s Sporting Director and the return to Soldier Field. That’s the same year that Nashville SC began play in MLS and from that time, the two teams have typically occupied very different strata in the league.

Nashville has been a perennial playoff team and almost won their first trophy last year, falling in penalty kicks to Inter Miami in the 2023 Leagues Cup final, while the Fire have missed the postseason every year, only making it as far as the quarterfinals in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup.

Consequently, the Fire’s trips to Nashville have been largely fruitless, if not embarrassing: The Fire have been outscored 8-2 in Nashville, with their sole point coming in 2020, as part of a 1-1 draw. The goalscorer for the Fire? Boris Sekulić. It’s been a while.

It probably feels like even longer for Nashville, however: Since losing the Leagues Cup final in 2023, the team has just nine wins in 38 MLS regular season matches, and 11 wins in 46 games in all competitions, including two over Moca FC from the Dominican Republic in the opening round of CONCACAF Champions Cup play.

Given the team’s fall, they replaced Gary Smith, the team’s first Head Coach with B.J. Callaghan, the former interim U.S. Men’s National Team Coach…. And then the team kept falling, losing the next seven games after Callaghan was named. The team finally got a win last Saturday, but currently sit behind the Fire in the Eastern Conference standings, behind on tiebreakers but with a game in hand.

Now both teams have a win at their backs and hope that it’s the start of a late season surge that sees their side back into the playoffs.

If the Fire get their first-ever win in Nashville, they’ll be knocking at the door of a postseason spot. Can they change the tune in Music City?

Nashville Players to Watch

Hany Mukhtar: Mukhtar was the 2022 MLS Golden Boot winner off of 23 goals and 11 assists that season. Last year, he was still dangerous, with 26 goal contributions. This year, things haven’t been going nearly as well for the German midfielder, with just five goals and seven assists to his credit. Despite the dip in form, he’s still a player who has two career hat tricks against the Fire, including the earliest hat trick in league history against the team in 2021. He’d love nothing more than to find his old form against a team he’s lit up before.

Sam Surridge: With Mukhtar's production in decline, Surridge has taken over as the team's leading scorer, and has looked more goal dangerous since Callaghan took over as head coach, even if he's only scored one goal since the new Head Coach took over. If Nashville are going to find success in the remaining part of this season, Surridge will be a core part of it.

Fire Keys to Victory

• Forget history: The Fire haven’t had success in Nashville. They’re a different team; they were playing a different team.
• Belgian cooking: Hugo Cuypers hasn’t scored since August 24th against NYCFC but he’s been far from silent. He was active throughout the game against the Red Bulls and did the work to get off a shot whose rebound resulted in Tom Barlow’s goal. Continue to active Cuypers and he’ll add to his tally or help others find goals. From a team result, it doesn’t matter which.

Panel Predictions

Alex Calabrese

Chicago Fire is groundhog day FC so they need to remain committed to the bit by putting together an impressive string of results before letting it crash.

Prediction: Nashville 2-1 Fire

Jiggly Carollo

Prediction: Nashville 1-0 Fire

Tim Hotze

I’m trying to make this a bit myself. It worked last time.

Prediction: Nashville 2-1 Fire

Matt Shabelman

Fireeee

Prediction: Nashville 3-1 Fire

Match Information and How to Watch

Date and Time: Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 7:30 PM CTLocation: Geodis Park, Nashville, Tenn.Forecast: 81’F expected at kickoff, winds at 4 mph, 42% cloud cover 1% chance of precipitationTV: Apple TV – MLS Season Pass