Tom Barlow Ends Fire's 8-Year Hat Trick Drought
Prior to last night, the Chicago Fire had not seen a hat trick on their side of the equation since October 15th, 2017. Of all the people to break that duck, it was Tom Barlow with his first three goals of the 2025 season, doing so in a historic 7-1 win over D.C. United at Audi Field.
That previous hat trick – by club legend Nemanja Nikolić against the Philadelphia Union – came in the last season that the Fire qualified for the postseason. At that time, Barlow, one of the first team's older squad members, was still in college with the Wisconsin Badgers.
"I remember watching him," Barlow said postgame. "I never saw that game with the hat trick, but I remember watching him with the Fire, and he was an incredible goal scorer. To be the first person to do it since him is pretty special."
Not only was it the club's first since 2017, but it was also Barlow's first in MLS play in his career. Seven seasons into his MLS career, the center forward had recorded 16 goals in total, so the trio of strikes in his first start of 2025 came out of nowhere.
"I knew I was going to get the start," Barlow said, having come into the game with go-to center forward Hugo Cuypers out injured. "So I was happy about that and just trying to stay focused on how I can contribute and play my part. When you get your chance, you try to make the most of it, and I feel like I did a pretty good job of doing that tonight. Hopefully we can keep it going.”
The severity of the injury to the Fire's starting #9 is unknown – Cuypers apparently picked up an injury in recent days and had been listed as "questionable" on the league injury report. That made Barlow the starter by default, with second team forward Jason Shokalook being the backup and providing a cameo at the end (during which he remarkably recorded a first pro assist).
Regardless of what happens with Cuypers, and regardless of the weakened opposition tonight due to injuries and international call-ups, Barlow's clinical hat trick will provide relief to Fire fans, who will now know that their backup forward is indeed capable of putting the ball in the back of the net.
"You should have seen the excitement of his teammates after the game when he got the game ball; everybody was cheering," Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said. "Every day he comes with the same mindset, to work hard and wait for his opportunity. And it's really difficult when your #1 striker is a Designated Player and also one of the top scorers in the league. It's hard to get opportunities."
“But he stays patient, and in a game like today, he got his opportunity and he did a great job. So the whole club, the whole staff, and all the players are really happy for him.”
