Chicago Fire FC loses first home match vs FC Cincinnati

Chicago IL, Saturday, April 19, 2025

Chicago Fire FC suffered their first home loss of the 2025 season in a closely contested 3-2 defeat against FC Cincinnati at Soldier Field. Despite having the majority of possession early on, the Fire were caught on a quick counterattack in the ninth minute, which ended with Evander’s deflected shot opening the scoring for Cincinnati. Chicago responded with intensity, and their persistence paid off when Jonathan Bamba’s well-placed assist led to Hugo Cuypers’ sixth goal of the season.

The match remained open and aggressive, with Cincinnati regaining the lead just before halftime. Sergio Santos capitalized on a defensive lapse, setting up Kévin Denkey for a clinical finish that made it 2-1. The second half saw Cincinnati take more control, and their efforts were rewarded when Evander scored again in the 72nd minute, driving home a low shot after a smooth setup from Luca Orellano.

Chicago refused to go down quietly, and a late push saw them close the gap in the 85th minute. After Cuypers created a chance that led to a foul in the box, Brian Gutiérrez converted the ensuing penalty to notch his third goal of the season. Despite the late surge, the Fire couldn’t find an equalizer, leaving them with a 3-3-3 record and 12 points, while Cincinnati continued their strong form with a sixth win of the campaign.

Goals:

CIN – Evander  9’

CHI – Cuypers  31’

CIN – Denkey  42’

CIN – Evander 72’

CHI – Gutiérrez  85’

Discipline:

CIN – Denkey (Yellow Card) 43’

CHI – Acosta (Yellow Card) 89’

CIN – Celentano (Yellow Card) 90+5’

CIN – Orellano (Yellow Card) 90+6’

Attendance: 17,732

Stadium: Soldier Field

Location:  Chicago, Illinois

Referee: Lorenzo Hernandez

Assistant Referees: Andrew Bigelow, Nick Balcer

Fourth Official: Ricardo Montero Araya

VAR: Sorin Stoica

AVAR: Corbyn May