With three road wins from June in their pocket, FC Cincinnati return to TQL Stadium with confidence and momentum at their backs. With victories against New England, CF Montréal, and Orlando, Chicago Fire FC comes to the Queen City as FC Cincinnati's next opponent, and both clubs look to improve their place in the Eastern Conference table.
FC Cincinnati enters the match in second place, one point behind leaders Philadelphia Union. But with a competitive table, only three points separate first from fifth, making every match matter. After finishing last in the Eastern Conference table in 2024, Chicago Fire are making a playoff push and sit just inside the playoff line with 28 points, making every match vital for them as they fight for a spot at the end of the season.
"It'll be a good challenge for us," FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said Thursday at his pre-match press conference. "We have to be good defensively against every team in wanting to go and win a game, but with Chicago specifically, it's understanding where those pieces are and how those pieces can hurt you."
FC Cincinnati Designated Players Evander and Kévin Denkey have been dominant forces this season, scoring 11 goals apiece and are squarely in the hunt for the Golden Boot. Evander was named an MLS All-Star ahead of his four-goal, two-game performance last week, and was named Player of the Match Day for his brace in Orlando on Saturday as well.
"He's been better than advertised. He has a really high soccer IQ. You see that with the information that you know we've given him and different things that we've challenged him with to, you know, be more effective in the game," Noonan said of Evander and what he's brought to the team. "Whether it's from deeper positions, advanced positions, how he's connecting with his teammates around him. I think one of the players said that he's the bridge in the locker room. He connects with everybody and in a really unique but authentic way."
With two wins last week, traveling away from TQL Stadium for both, not only did FC Cincinnati earn vital points, but also turned in performances they could build on. So while there are still places they are looking to grow, the victories leading into this Saturday's homecoming have been some of the best of 2025.
"In different phases of the game, you could say it was some of our best play," Noonan said Thursday from Mercy Health Training Center. "Our chance creation and with the ball, we did some really good things. There were stretches against Orlando, I'd say through the first 60 Minutes, 65 minutes, or really up until the second goal, where there were some good ideas. The end of the games, we struggle. I think physically, you could see, it took its toll in the last 20 minutes and added time there in Orlando. Physically in a tough place, but the guys competed in the right way."
FC CINCINNATI vs Chicago Fire FC – Saturday, July 5, 2025 – 7:30 p.m. ET – TQL Stadium
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Against Chicago
The road team has had the clear success in the all-time head-to-head between FC Cincinnati and Chicago Fire FC. FCC are 5-1-1 in matches played in Chicago – including April’s 3-2 win at Soldier Field – while CFFC are 3-1-2 in MLS matches at Cincinnati.Neither Cincinnati or Chicago have ever swept the season series between the two sides. The Orange and Blue seek the first sweep over the Fire come Saturday night after defeating. Chicago 3-2 in April. Evander netted a brace and Kévin Denkey scored in the road victory.
FC CINCINNATI NOTES
Evander on a roll – The All-Star midfielder Evander is the reigning MLS Player of the Matchday, as his two-goal performance at Orlando City SC marked his second-consecutive brace. If he scoreds two or more goals Saturday, he will become the first player in club history to score multiple goals in three-straight matches.
Per Sportec Solutions, Evander leads MLS in:
– Free-kick goals in 2025 (3, two more than any other player)
– Goals outside the penalty area in 2025 (6, two more than any other player)
– Goals outside the penalty area since the start of 2023 (14, six more than any other player – Carles Gil and Lionel Messi – 8).
Home Stretch – Including Saturday night, nine of FC Cincinnati’s 14 remaining MLS Regular Season matches in 2025 will be played at TQL Stadium. And 12 of the club’s 17 remaining scheduled games in 2025 – including Leagues Cup Phase One – will be hosted in the Queen City.
Good to be Home – FC Cincinnati return home after 35 days away from TQL Stadium, dating back to the last home match on May 31 vs D.C. United. All three matches in June were road matches, but despite the road travel, FC Cincinnati went a perfect 3-0-0 last month in matches at New England Revolution (1-0), CF Montréal (3-1) and Orlando City SC (2-1).
The 35 days away from home marks the longest in-season gap between home games in club history, including 2020, as FC Cincinnati did not host a home match until August that season.
The All Star’s – FC Cincinnati midfielder Evander and defender Miles Robinson were among the 26 players honored as Major League Soccer All-Stars for the upcoming 2025 MLS All-Star Game. The 2025 MLS All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday, July 23, and features the MLS All- Stars taking on a team of All-Stars from Liga MX at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.
FC Cincinnati have had multiple All-Stars in each of the past four seasons.
SCOUTING Chicago Fire FC (8-7-4, 28 Points, 8th in Eastern Conference)
Coming off of a big win last weekend where they defeated Charlotte FC 3-2 at home to stop a two game losing streak, Chicago Fire FC come to Cincinnati also looking to avenge a home loss to The Orange and Blue in their own building earlier this season.
The Fire have been a feast or famine team this season – scoring high water marks in victories (sometimes as high as seven goals) but also struggling in their losses, averaging just one goal in draws and losses. Stars like Phillip Zinkernagel and Hugo Cuypers have been key factors in that as the attacking pair have contributed 19 goals this season (eight and eleven, respectively) and each have been available for all but one match this season. Young star Brian Gutierrez has also added seven goals this season, rounding out the attacking trio of the squad.
“Chicago, I think, has a very dynamic attacking group. But it's not just the front three, maybe that front front four, that get the attention, because they have outside backs that are effective in different ways. They have center backs that can initiate attacks. They have a midfield group that's technically strong that moves in a good way to break pressure,” Pat Noonan said of Chicago Fire FC before the match. “So, the attackers are going to get the credit, because they're the one finishing off the plays a majority of the time and I think their front three, [Brian] Gutierrez in the mix as well, is as strong as any attacking group in the league.”
In his first season as Head Coach though, Gregg Berhalter has seen notable improvement from his squad as the last place team in the Eastern Conference from 2024 now finds itself in a playoff position just over halfway through the season. Known for his ability to get the most of his strikers in MLS, Berhalter most often deploys his side in a 4-3-3 formation.
On the defensive side of the ball, Jack Elliot is the leader of the backline. Elliot, 29, joined Chicago this offseason as a marquee signing under the new manager after nearly a decade with Philadelphia Union and over 200 appearances. Also in his first season with Chicago is Sam Rogers, who joined the side this offseason from Norwegian side Lillestrom and has made 11 starts this year.
Former member of FC Cincinnati Andrew Gutman, who played for The Orange and Blue in the 2019 and 2020 seasons, has appeared in 19 matches for Chicago this season.
The question of goalkeeping for Chicago may be up for debate entering Saturday’s match as Chicago’s usual starter, Chris Brady, is away with the USMNT as a late addition to camp after another keeper was removed due to injury. Jeffery Gal, another Chicago native, has stood in for the absent Brady and appeared in the last four matches.
