Sweet Carolina: Charlotte FC 1, Chicago Fire 4
Well, who saw that coming?
In the three games since losing to Nashville SC 7-2, the Chicago Fire are unbeaten, claiming seven points. The Men in Red got their latest impressive result tonight, shocking Charlotte FC 4-1 in their own stadium.
A week on from the Fire's first home win of 2025, Gregg Berhalter sought to build on things with a largely unchanged lineup in North Carolina. Just one alteration was made from the 2-1 victory against Atlanta, with previously suspended goalkeeper Chris Brady returning to the net in place of backup Jeff Gal.
Things started as planned for the Fire, who were looking to compound Charlotte's misery after they were destroyed midweek by Orlando City. The first half was fairly even, with neither team looking too threatening.
The Fire found the breakthrough shortly before halftime. Designated Player Jonathan Bamba ripped a shot from distance, which sailed into the net with the help of a slight deflection. Goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina misjudged the flight of the ball, marking the beginning of a tough night in goal.
The second half started just as well as the second half finished. Young star Brian Gutiérrez recovered well from a point-blank miss to score his fourth goal of the season, drilling a ball from just inside the penalty box. Four minutes later, things got even better, with Philip Zinckernagel extending the lead to three.
Dean Smith's Charlotte were not totally out of things yet, as USMNT forward Patrick Agyemang cut the deficit back to 3-1 with a nice finish in the 70th minute. The Fire responded with three changes, introducing Maren Haile-Selassie, Omari Glasgow, and Djé D'Avilla. Kellyn Acosta did not appear for the third successive MLS game.
Gutiérrez, looking to solidify a spot on the USMNT's Gold Cup roster next week, then doubled his tally with another goal 11 minutes from time. Andrew Gutman had won a penalty, drawing a foul from Eryk Williamson, which the 21-year-old Gutiérrez calmly converted to make the game 4-1.
With the win, the Fire climb into 9th place — and into the playoff positions. They'll face New York City FC on the road next week in MLS, with an Open Cup Round of 16 match against New England also on the agenda for Tuesday.
Player Ratings
Starting XI (4-3-3) — Chris Brady (6.5); Andrew Gutman (8.5), Jack Elliott (7), Sam Rogers (5.5), Jonathan Dean (7); Mauricio Pineda (7.5), Sergio Oregel Jr. (8), Brian Gutiérrez (9.5); Jonathan Bamba (8), Philip Zinckernagel (7.5), Hugo Cuypers (6.5)
Substitutes — Djé D'Avilla (6), Omari Glasgow (6), Maren Haile-Selassie (6.5), Rominigue Kouamé (6.5), Tom Barlow (NR)
