Venue, Date & Time
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Kickoff: 8:30 PM ET / 7:30 PM CT / 5:30 PM PT
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Weather Forecast (Chicago, IL)
Conditions: Clear skies, mild
Temperature: ~70°F (21°C) at kickoff, dipping to ~63°F (17°C) by full-time
Wind: Light, 6–8 mph from the southwest
Impact: Ideal soccer conditions; no weather disruptions expected
Injury Report
Chicago Fire
Out: Leonardo Barroso (injury), David Poreba (injury), Chase Gasper (injury), Chris Mueller (injury), Rominigue Kouamé N’Guessan (injury)
Questionable: None
Columbus Crew SC
Out: Rudy Camacho (thigh), Diego Rossi (thigh), Sean Zawadzki (knee)
Questionable: Mohamed Farsi (pelvis)
Key Player Matchups
Hugo Cuypers (Chicago, F, 16 goals) vs. Steven Moreira (Columbus, D)
Cuypers is Fire’s top scorer; Moreira must contain his movement in the box.
Philip Zinckernagel (Chicago, M, 14 goals, 11 assists) vs. Darlington Nagbe (Columbus, M)
Zinckernagel drives Chicago’s creativity; Nagbe anchors Columbus’ midfield.
Brian Gutiérrez (Chicago, M, 8 goals) vs. Max Arfsten (Columbus, M, 4 goals, 5 assists)
Both provide secondary scoring threats and link play.
Chris Brady (Chicago, GK) vs. Patrick Schulte (Columbus, GK)
Both young keepers will be tested by two of MLS’s top-10 scoring attacks.
Team Records & Recent Form
Chicago Fire (8th East, 13-11-6, 45 pts)
Last 5: W–L–W–L–W
Goals: 57 scored, 53 conceded (+4 GD)
Home Record: 9-8-5 in Eastern Conference play
Columbus Crew SC (7th East, 13-7-11, 50 pts)
Last 5: D–L–W–D–L
Goals: 51 scored, 47 conceded (+4 GD)
Away Record: 3-4-5
Trend: Can clinch playoff spot with a win
Series History
All-time H2H: 70 meetings → Columbus 25 wins, Chicago 21 wins, 24 draws
Recent Meetings:
Feb 22, 2025: Columbus 4–2 Chicago
May 18, 2024: Chicago 1–3 Columbus
Mar 9, 2024: Columbus 2–1 Chicago
Trend: Columbus has won 7 of last 9 vs. Chicago
Betting Trends
Chicago: 5-3-2 in last 10, averaging 1.8 goals per game
Columbus: 3-4-3 in last 10, averaging 1.7 goals per game
H2H: Columbus unbeaten in last 8 vs. Chicago
Both teams rank top-10 in MLS scoring (Chicago 57, Columbus 51 goals)
MATCH ODDS
Chicago Fire + 115 Draw + 265 Columbus Crew SC + 195
Over 3.5 + 130 Under 3.5 – 165
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, September 26, 2025
