Sergio Oregel Ready for "Dream" Opening Day Start

Sergio Oregel has been anything but a first team fixture for the Chicago Fire over the last three seasons. But tonight, he's expected to take center stage, as he's set to make his first MLS start on opening day against the Columbus Crew.

The Saturday night stage of Lower.com Field is a big one for a young player to make their first leap into MLS action, but nonetheless, it's an opportunity for a young player who perhaps hasn't gotten the first team cracks that he deserved.

Oregel entered this offseason firmly on the fringes of the team; he rarely trained with the main group in 2024, didn't make the bench once in 2023 or 2024, and was far more commonly found with the Fire's second team. He was so good in preseason that he started all four of the Fire's matches at the Coachella Valley Invitational this month, and with new signing Rominigue Kouamé out injured, there's no question that he's going to get the nod tonight.

"Things have been different in many ways, and this is the first preseason that I felt like I'm really part of the group," Oregel told MIR97 Media earlier this week. "For me, always being with the starting squad or in the games, playing most of the minutes with the team... it's a great confidence booster."

"Knowing that the whole staff believes in me is huge. And especially Gregg (Berhalter), he's coached some great players, and there are so many things that I'm learning from him. It's just great being around him, and everything feels so new and fresh."

Oregel has earned the trust of the new first team staff, and it's undoubtedly deserved from his performances in preseason. The 19-year-old missed the first few days of camp while he was away with the U.S. Under-20 National Team but then scored in his first friendly back against Sporting Kansas City. At Coachella, he capped a strong run of games with an assist for Brian Gutiérrez in the 5-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.

Playing either as a midfield partner for Kellyn Acosta in a double pivot or slightly further forward as a number 8 next to Gutiérrez, Oregel made the most of his chances and put himself in a position to be a key player on MLS matchday one.

"I think he did a really good job (in preseason), and for us, it's about continuing to challenge him on his limits," Berhalter said Thursday. "We think he's a really high-potential player. It's really good putting him in positions to compete each and every day."

"He understands the need to be 100 percent fit, 100 percent focused on each and every play. But he is, in our opinion, a difference-maker, and I think he's had a great preseason."

Berhalter, former U.S. Men's National Team head coach, has been a huge boost to the whole Fire organization since joining the club in the fall. Players and staff from top to bottom have raved about his impact both on and off the field, and the implementation of his game model is already being felt by the players.

During his national team tenure, Berhalter sought to build a style of play that would permeate between all the different U.S. age group teams. Naturally, Oregel played within that umbrella for several years of his new coach's run with the USMNT. The homegrown midfielder was a regular call-up for Marko Mitrović when he managed the U-19 team in 2022, and since then, he's become a regular face for the U-20s under Mitrović.

While Mitrović and Berhalter do have their differences, there are many ways that their managerial and tactical styles align. This has helped Oregel – whose limited experience with Berhalter is still more than most of his current teammates had prior to January – to become an impact player within the system.

"With the national team, every age group plays the same way, both on and off the ball," Oregel said. "On the ball, they want players who are comfortable and confident playing in tight spaces, and I feel like that's something that suits me very well. Defensively players want to press and track back and cover space for their teammates, and I think those are two things that are very much in my game.

"I think that's another reason why the preseason and everything has gone so well just cause I've been so comfortable playing in this system."

Even though preseason has been almost perfect for the teenager, MLS opening day is another beast – particularly when it's on the road at the Columbus Crew, one of the top teams in the league. Though some key figures have left that team in recent months, any team coached by Wilfried Nancy is an extremely dangerous one, and with a sold-out home crowd on their side, they will provide a formidable force.

That only makes things trickier for Oregel, Berhalter, and the Fire, but it's not a challenge they aren't capable of rising to. The Fire battled hard and earned an exciting point against the Philadelphia Union on opening day last season under similar conditions, and with a player, coach, and team all looking to prove a point, nothing should be counted out.

"Yes, there's a mix of emotions," Oregel said. "This was the dream a couple years ago. I'm happy that it's finally coming true, to be in the starting squad, and I'm excited."

"I'm a little bit nervous because, yes, Columbus is a great team. But it's mainly just excitement; this is everything I have wanted to do since I was a kid, and I just can't wait to be on the field."

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