2019 Chicago Fire season

The 2019 Chicago Fire season was the club's 21st year of existence, as well as their 22nd in Major League Soccer.

Chicago Fire

2019 season
Chairman	Andrew Hauptman (Until September 13) Joe Mansueto (Partial until September 13; sole afterwards)
Head coach	Veljko Paunović
Stadium	SeatGeek Stadium (capacity: 20,000)
MLS	Conference: 8th Overall: 17th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	Fourth round
Leagues Cup	Quarter-finals
Top goalscorer	League: C. J. Sapong, 12 goals (2 assists) All: Nemanja Nikolić, 13 goals
Highest home attendance	League: 18,232 (July 27 vs. D.C. United)
Lowest home attendance	League: 6,074 (May 8 vs. New England)
Average home league attendance	League: 11,969
Biggest win	5–0 (May 8 vs. New England Revolution)
Biggest defeat	1–4 (May 18 vs. San Jose Earthquakes)
Home colors Away colors
← 2018 2020 →

Current squad

As of August 13, 2019. Sources: Chicago Fire official roster and Official MLS Roster

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of Birth (Age)	Previous Club	Player Notes
1	David Ousted		GK	(1985-02-01) February 1, 1985 (age 40)	D.C. United	International
2	Marcelo		D	(1989-07-27) July 27, 1989 (age 36)	Sporting CP	International
3	Jonathan Bornstein		D	(1984-11-07) November 7, 1984 (age 40)	Maccabi Netanya F.C.
4	Johan Kappelhof		D	(1990-08-05) August 5, 1990 (age 35)	FC Groningen
5	Francisco Calvo		D	(1992-07-08) July 8, 1992 (age 33)	Minnesota United FC
6	Dax McCarty		M	(1987-04-30) April 30, 1987 (age 38)	New York Red Bulls	(Captain)
7	Raheem Edwards		M/D	(1995-07-17) July 17, 1995 (age 30)	Montreal Impact	International
9	C. J. Sapong		F	(1988-12-27) December 27, 1988 (age 36)	Philadelphia Union
10	Aleksandar Katai		M	(1991-02-06) February 6, 1991 (age 34)	Deportivo Alavés	International Designated Player
11	Przemysław Frankowski		M	(1995-04-12) April 12, 1995 (age 30)	Jagiellonia Białystok	International
12	Amando Moreno		M	(1995-09-10) September 10, 1995 (age 29)	New York Red Bulls II
13	Brandt Bronico		M	(1995-06-20) June 20, 1995 (age 30)	University of North Carolina Charlotte
14	Djordje Mihailovic		M	(1998-11-10) November 10, 1998 (age 26)	Chicago Fire Academy	Homegrown
15	Grant Lillard		D	(1995-12-05) December 5, 1995 (age 29)	Indiana Hoosiers	Homegrown On Loan
16	Michael Azira		M	(1987-08-22) August 22, 1987 (age 37)	Montreal Impact
17	Diego Campos		F	(1995-10-01) October 1, 1995 (age 29)	Clemson	International
18	Cristian Martínez		M	(1997-02-06) February 6, 1997 (age 28)	Columbus Crew
20	Nicolás Gaitán		M	(1988-02-23) February 23, 1988 (age 37)	Dalian Yifang F.C.	International
21	Fabian Herbers		F	(1993-08-17) August 17, 1993 (age 32)	Philadelphia Union
23	Nemanja Nikolić		F	(1987-12-31) December 31, 1987 (age 37)	Legia Warsaw	Designated Player International
27	Kenneth Kronholm		G	(1985-10-14) October 14, 1985 (age 39)	Holstein Kiel
28	Elliot Collier		F	(1995-02-22) February 22, 1995 (age 30)	Loyola Chicago	International On Loan
30	Stefan Cleveland		G	(1994-05-25) May 25, 1994 (age 31)	University of Louisville	On Loan
31	Bastian Schweinsteiger		M	(1984-08-01) August 1, 1984 (age 41)	Manchester United	Designated Player International
32	Gabriel Slonina		G	(2004-05-15) May 15, 2004 (age 21)	Chicago Fire Academy	Homegrown
33	Jeremiah Gutjahr		M	(1997-08-10) August 10, 1997 (age 28)	Indiana Hoosiers	Homegrown
36	Andre Reynolds II		D	(2001-05-02) May 2, 2001 (age 24)	Chicago Fire Academy	Homegrown
45	Richard Sánchez		G	(1994-05-05) May 5, 1994 (age 31)	Tigres UANL

Player movement

See also: List of Major League Soccer transfers 2018

In

Date	Player	Position	Previous Club	Notes	Ref
November 25, 2018	Elliot Collier	F	Chicago Fire	Option was exercised	[1]
November 26, 2018	Brandt Bronico	M	Chicago Fire	Option was exercised	[2]
November 26, 2018	Diego Campos	D/M/F	Chicago Fire	Option was exercised	[2]
November 26, 2018	Stefan Cleveland	G	Chicago Fire	Option was exercised	[2]
November 26, 2018	Jorge Luis Corrales	D	Chicago Fire	Option was exercised	[2]
November 26, 2018	Raheem Edwards	D/M/F	Chicago Fire	Option was exercised	[2]
November 26, 2018	Nicolas Hasler	D/M	Chicago Fire	Option was exercised	[2]
November 28, 2018	Bastian Schweinsteiger	M	Chicago Fire	Re-signed through 2019 after his contract expired	[3]
December 9, 2018	Fabian Herbers	F	Philadelphia Union	Acquired in exchange for the Fire's natural second-round pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft	[4]
December 27, 2018	Marcelo	D	Sporting CP	Signed through 2020 after being acquired from Sporting CP	[5]
January 22, 2019	Przemysław Frankowski	M	Jagiellonia Białystok	Signed through 2022 after being acquired from Jagiellonia Białystok	[6]
January 22, 2019	Jeremiah Gutjahr	D	Indiana Hoosiers	Signed to a homegrown deal for 2019 with options for 2020, 2021, and 2022	[7]
January 24, 2019	Cristian Martínez	M	Columbus Crew	Signed to a deal after being selected fourth overall in the 2018 MLS Waiver Draft; contract is for 2019 with options for 2020 and 2021	[8]
January 24, 2019	Amando Moreno	M	New York Red Bulls II	Signed to a deal after his rights were acquired in exchange for the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft; contract is for 2019 with options for 2020, 2021, and 2022	[8]
January 25, 2019	Andre Reynolds	D	Chicago Fire Academy	Signed to a homegrown contract through 2022 with an option for 2023	[9]
January 26, 2019	Johan Kappelhof	D	Chicago Fire	Re-signed through 2021 after his contract expired	[2][10]
January 27, 2019	David Ousted	G	D.C. United	Acquired off waivers and signed a contract through 2019 with an option for 2020	[11]
February 23, 2019	C. J. Sapong	F	Philadelphia Union	Acquired from Philadelphia for $200k in 2019 TAM, $100k in 2020 TAM, and $100k in 2019 GAM if it becomes available.	[12]
March 8, 2019	Gabriel Slonina	G	Chicago Fire Academy	Signed as a homegrown player through 2022 with an option for 2023	[13]
March 14, 2019	Nicolás Gaitán	M	Dalian Yifang F.C.	Signed through 2019 with an option for 2020	[14]
May 3, 2019	Francisco Calvo	D	Minnesota United FC	Acquired for $400k in allocation money across 2019 and 2020	[15]
May 7, 2019	Kenneth Kronholm	GK	Holstein Kiel	Acquired from Holstein Kiel on a contract through 2021 with an option for 2022	[16]
July 22, 2019	Jonathan Bornstein	D	Maccabi Netanya F.C.	Acquired from Maccabi Netanya on a contract through 2020 with an option for 2021	[17]
August 7, 2019	Michael Azira	M	Montreal Impact	Acquired alongside a second-round draft pick and the Impact's allocation pick in exchange for the Fire's allocation pick and Jorge Corrales	[18]

Out

Date	Player	Position	Destination Club	Notes	Ref
October 28, 2018	Alan Gordon	F	Retired		[19]
October 30, 2018	Brandon Vincent	D	Retired		[20]
October 31, 2018	Christian Dean	D	Retired		[21]
November 26, 2018	Jonathan Campbell	D	Seattle Sounders FC	Option was declined, and his rights were ultimately traded to Seattle on December 28, 2018	[2][22]
November 26, 2018	Drew Conner	M	1. SC Znojmo	Option was declined	[2]
November 26, 2018	Michael de Leeuw	F	FC Emmen	Option was declined	[2]
November 26, 2018	Daniel Johnson	M	Birmingham Legion FC	Option was declined	[2]
November 26, 2018	Patrick McLain	G	Orange County SC	Option was declined	[2]
November 26, 2018	Yura Movsisyan	F		Option was declined	[2]
November 26, 2018	Matt Polster	D/M	Rangers FC	Out of contract, later signed with Rangers	[2]
November 26, 2018	Luis Solignac	F		Option was declined	[2]
January 27, 2019	Nicolás Del Grecco	D		Waived	[11]
March 28, 2019	Nicolas Hasler	D/M	Sporting Kansas City	Waived	[23]
July 17, 2019	Mo Adams	M	Atlanta United FC	Traded for $100k in 2020 GAM	[24]
August 7, 2019	Jorge Luis Corrales	D	Montreal Impact	Traded alongside the Fire's allocation pick in exchange for a second-round draft pick, the Impact's allocation pick, and Michael Azira	[18]

The following players were drafted and did not sign a contract:

• Ebenezer Ackon (D), selected 53rd overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft from Bowling Green State University; signed with San Antonio FC^[25][26]
• Mark Forrest (F), selected 77th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft from Lehigh University^[25]
• Grant Stoneman (D), selected 55th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft from Loyola University Chicago; signed with Lansing Ignite^[25][27]
• Marco Ureña (F), selected in the Waiver Draft from Los Angeles FC; signed with Liga Deportiva Alajuelense^[28][29]

The following players were trialing or training with the club but did not sign a contract:

• Antonio Rodriguez^[30]
• Christopher Schorch, last played for KFC Uerdingen 05

Loans Out

Date	Player	Position	Destination Club	Notes	Ref
March 1, 2019	Elliot Collier	F	Memphis 901 FC	Loaned out with the option for the Fire to recall at any point	[31][32]
March 16, 2019	Mo Adams	M	Memphis 901 FC	Returned for the game against the New York Red Bulls on March 30	[33]

Technical staff

Position	Staff
General Manager	Nelson Rodríguez
Head Coach	Veljko Paunović
Assistant Coach	Marko Mitrović
Assistant Coach	Eric Gehrig
Goalkeeper Coach	Aleksandar Sarić
Senior Director of Soccer Operations	Eddie Rock
Strength and Conditioning Coach	Raphael Fevre
Massage Therapist	Steven Burrows
Director of Scouting	Matt Pearson
Video Analyst	Nenad Babic
Manager of Team and Soccer Operations	Alex Boler
Equipment Manager	Brian Sauer
Assistant Equipment Manager	Juan Arreola
Head Athletic Trainer	Steven Purcell
Assistant Athletic Trainer	Reade Whitney
Chief Medical Officer	Dr. Joshua Blomgren, D.O.
Head Orthopedic Officer	Dr. Brian Forsythe, M.D.
Physical Therapist	Ryan Perry

Last updated: October 30, 2017
Source: Chicago Fire Technical Staff

Standings

Eastern Conference table

2019 MLS Eastern Conference standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	New York City FC (P)	34	18	6	10	63	42	+21	64	Playoffs Conference Semifinals & 2020 CONCACAF Champions League
2	Atlanta United FC (P, U)	34	18	12	4	58	43	+15	58	Playoffs first round & 2020 CONCACAF Champions League[a]
3	Philadelphia Union (P, L)	34	16	11	7	58	50	+8	55	Playoffs first round & 2020 Leagues Cup
4	Toronto FC[b] (P, L)	34	13	10	11	57	52	+5	50
5	D.C. United (P, L)	34	13	10	11	42	38	+4	50
6	New York Red Bulls (P, L)	34	14	14	6	53	51	+2	48
7	New England Revolution (P)	34	11	11	12	50	57	−7	45	Playoffs first round
8	Chicago Fire	34	10	12	12	55	47	+8	42
9	Montreal Impact[b] (V)	34	12	17	5	47	60	−13	41	2020 CONCACAF Champions League[c]
10	Columbus Crew SC	34	10	16	8	39	47	−8	38
11	Orlando City SC	34	9	15	10	44	52	−8	37
12	FC Cincinnati	34	6	22	6	31	75	−44	24

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals scored; 9) home goal differential; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots.
(L) Leagues Cup berth; (P) Playoffs berth; (U) U.S. Open Cup winners; (V) Canadian Championship winners
Notes:

1. as 2019 U.S. Open Cup champions
2. Canadian clubs could not qualify for the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League through MLS play.
3. as 2019 Canadian Championship winners

Overall table

2019 MLS regular season standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Los Angeles FC (S)	34	21	4	9	85	37	+48	72	2020 CONCACAF Champions League[a]
2	New York City FC	34	18	6	10	63	42	+21	64	2020 CONCACAF Champions League[b]
3	Atlanta United FC (U)	34	18	12	4	58	43	+15	58	2020 CONCACAF Champions League[c]
4	Seattle Sounders FC (C)	34	16	10	8	52	49	+3	56	2020 CONCACAF Champions League[d]
5	Philadelphia Union	34	16	11	7	58	50	+8	55
6	Real Salt Lake	34	16	13	5	46	41	+5	53
7	Minnesota United FC	34	15	11	8	52	43	+9	53
8	LA Galaxy	34	16	15	3	58	59	−1	51
9	Toronto FC	34	13	10	11	57	52	+5	50
10	D.C. United	34	13	10	11	42	38	+4	50
11	Portland Timbers	34	14	13	7	52	49	+3	49
12	New York Red Bulls	34	14	14	6	53	51	+2	48
13	FC Dallas	34	13	12	9	54	46	+8	48
14	New England Revolution	34	11	11	12	50	57	−7	45
15	San Jose Earthquakes	34	13	16	5	52	55	−3	44
16	Colorado Rapids	34	12	16	6	58	63	−5	42
17	Chicago Fire	34	10	12	12	55	47	+8	42
18	Montreal Impact (V)	34	12	17	5	47	60	−13	41	2020 CONCACAF Champions League[e]
19	Houston Dynamo	34	12	18	4	49	59	−10	40
20	Columbus Crew SC	34	10	16	8	39	47	−8	38
21	Sporting Kansas City	34	10	16	8	49	67	−18	38
22	Orlando City SC	34	9	15	10	44	52	−8	37
23	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	34	8	16	10	37	59	−22	34
24	FC Cincinnati	34	6	22	6	31	75	−44	24

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goals scored; 7) away goal differential; 8) coin toss or drawing of lots
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield winner; (U) U.S. Open Cup winner; (V) Canadian Championship winner
Notes:

1. As Supporters' Shield champions (USA2)
2. As Eastern Conference regular season champions (USA3)
3. As 2019 U.S. Open Cup champions (USA4)
4. As MLS Cup 2019 champions (USA1)
5. As 2019 Canadian Championship champions (CAN1)

Match results

  Win   Tie   Loss

Preseason

Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)

Atlético Madrid B v Chicago Fire

January 30	Atlético Madrid B	1–1	Chicago Fire	Madrid, Spain
	28' (pen.)	Report	Katai	Stadium: La Ciudad del Fútbol
Note: Two 35-minute halves.

La Liga AFE v Chicago Fire

February 3	La Liga AFE	Canceled	Chicago Fire	Madrid, Spain
				Stadium: La Ciudad del Fútbol

CF Fuenlabrada v Chicago Fire

February 6	CF Fuenlabrada	0–1	Chicago Fire	Madrid, Spain
		Report	Katai 52'	Stadium: Estadio Fernando Torres

Columbus Crew SC v Chicago Fire

February 16 2019 Carolina Challenge Cup	Columbus Crew SC	1–1	Chicago Fire	Charleston, South Carolina
	Zardes 26' Trapp  31'	Report	Mihailovic 16' Campos  73'	Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium

FC Cincinnati v Chicago Fire

February 20 2019 Carolina Challenge Cup	FC Cincinnati	1–1	Chicago Fire	Charleston, South Carolina
20:30	Adi  79' Lamah 84'	Report	Adams  45+1' Katai 53',  87'	Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium

Charleston Battery v Chicago Fire

February 23 2019 Carolina Challenge Cup	Charleston Battery	0–1	Chicago Fire	Charleston, South Carolina
20:30		Report	Schweinsteiger  61' Herbers 85'	Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium

Major League Soccer

Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)

LA Galaxy v Chicago Fire

March 2 1	LA Galaxy	2–1	Chicago Fire	Carson, California
19:00	Steres 68' Ibrahimović 80' Álvarez  83'	Report	Marcelo  44' Sapong 49'	Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park Attendance: 25,866 Referee: Allen Chapman

Chicago Fire v Orlando City SC

March 9 2	Chicago Fire	1–1	Orlando City SC	Bridgeview, Illinois
12:00	Mihailovic  45' Corrales  64' Schweinsteiger  90' Sapong 90+5'	Report	Smith  34' Dwyer 47'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 11,041 Referee: Robert Sibiga

Chicago Fire v Seattle Sounders FC

March 16 3	Chicago Fire	2–4	Seattle Sounders FC	Bridgeview, Illinois
12:00	Edwards 56',  64' Herbers 84',  90+2'	Report	Rodríguez 8' Morris 15' Lodeiro 49' (pen.) Roldan  77' Ruidíaz 88'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 10,032 Referee: Joseph Dickerson

Chicago Fire v New York Red Bulls

March 30 4	Chicago Fire	1–0	New York Red Bulls	Bridgeview, Illinois
12:00	Sapong  47' Parker 48' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 12,013 Referee: Alex Chilowicz

Toronto FC v Chicago Fire

April 6 5	Toronto FC	2–2	Chicago Fire	Toronto, Ontario
14:00	Altidore 31' Laryea  37' Pozuelo  57' Osorio 76'	Report	Katai  37' Sapong 45+1' Nikolić  52', 76' Mihailovic  56' Schweinsteiger  81'	Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 26,256 Referee: Armando Villarreal

Chicago Fire v Vancouver Whitecaps FC

April 12 6	Chicago Fire	1–1	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	Adams  40' Nikolić 84' (pen.)	Report	Reyna 53' Crépeau  79'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 10,439 Referee: Jair Marrufo

Chicago Fire v Colorado Rapids

April 20 7	Chicago Fire	4–1	Colorado Rapids	Bridgeview, Illinois
12:00	Nikolić 34' Sapong 53' Mihailovic 61' Katai 80' Adams  84'	Report	Rubio  31' Kamara 40' Price  86'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 12,697 Referee: Dave Gantar

New York City FC v Chicago Fire

April 24 8	New York City FC	1–0	Chicago Fire	New York City, New York
18:00	Chanot  7' Castellanos 9',  67' Ring  16' Tinnerholm  37'	Report	Adams  16' Mihailovic  75' Schweinsteiger  90'	Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 21,791 Referee: Robert Sibiga

Montreal Impact v Chicago Fire

April 28 9	Montreal Impact	1–0	Chicago Fire	Montreal, Quebec
11:30	Sagna  78' Browne 83'	Report	Kappelhof  90+5'	Stadium: Stade Saputo Attendance: 15,758 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

Los Angeles FC v Chicago Fire

May 4 10	Los Angeles FC	0–0	Chicago Fire	Los Angeles, California
21:30	Beitashour  25'	Report	Corrales  25' Schweinsteiger  41' Frankowski  88'	Stadium: Banc of California Stadium Attendance: 22,154 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

Chicago Fire v New England Revolution

May 8 11	Chicago Fire	5–0	New England Revolution	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Nikolić 28', 40' Kappelhof  55' Bronico 78' Gaitán 85' Frankowski 89'	Report	Caicedo  58'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 6,074 Referee: Timothy Ford

Chicago Fire v Minnesota United FC

May 11 12	Chicago Fire	2–0	Minnesota United FC	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Gaitán 21' Katai 34' Schweinsteiger  77'	Report	Métanire  42' Rodríguez  78' Danladi  90+2' Quintero  90+3'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 11,531 Referee: Marcos DeOliveira

San Jose Earthquakes v Chicago Fire

May 18 13	San Jose Earthquakes	4–1	Chicago Fire	San Jose, California
14:30	Wondolowski 21', 48', 74', 76' Espinoza  54'	Report	Kappelhof  41' Corrales  63' Katai 83',  90+5' Calvo  86'	Stadium: Avaya Stadium Attendance: 15,232 Referee: Alex Chilowicz

Chicago Fire v New York City FC

May 25 14	Chicago Fire	1–1	New York City FC	Bridgeview, Illinois
14:30	Sapong 28' Katai  80' Edwards  90+1'	Report	Mitriță 40' Ring  53' Tajouri-Shradi  90'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 10,986 Referee: Ramy Touchan

D.C. United v Chicago Fire

May 29 15	D.C. United	3–3	Chicago Fire	Washington, DC
19:00	Segura 43', 61' Canouse  49' Acosta 81'	Report	Sapong 12' Mihailovic 14' Frankowski  62' Calvo 90+2'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 14,201 Referee: Armando Villarreal

Atlanta United FC v Chicago Fire

June 1 16	Atlanta United FC	2–0	Chicago Fire	Atlanta, Georgia
17:00	Martínez 12', 43' Escobar  33'	Report	Corrales  59' Schweinsteiger  77'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 67,502 Referee: Nima Saghafi

Chicago Fire v Real Salt Lake

June 22 17	Chicago Fire	1–1	Real Salt Lake	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Katai 5' Adams  15' Schweinsteiger  90+3'	Report	Rusnák 33' (pen.) Luiz  34' Rimando  90+3'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 15,609 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

New York Red Bulls v Chicago Fire

June 28 18	New York Red Bulls	3–1	Chicago Fire	Harrison, New Jersey
19:00	Gamarra 8' Rzatkowski  28' Robles  30' White 59' Royer 90+3'	Report	Nikolić 74',  81'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 17,563 Referee: Ted Unkel

Chicago Fire v Atlanta United FC

July 3 19	Chicago Fire	5–1	Atlanta United FC	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Calvo 4' Sapong 7', 37' Gaitán 13' (pen.) Herbers 44' Frankowski  55' Gutjahr  87' Nikolić  90+2'	Report	Pereira  11' Vazquez 58' (pen.) Robinson  69'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 13,476 Referee: Silviu Petrescu

Sporting Kansas City v Chicago Fire

July 6 20	Sporting Kansas City	1–0	Chicago Fire	Kansas City, Missouri
19:30	Croizet 14' Gutiérrez  67' Baráth  88'	Report	Herbers  44' McCarty  69' Campos  83' Schweinsteiger  90'	Stadium: Children's Mercy Park Attendance: 18,570 Referee: Joseph Dickerson

Chicago Fire v FC Cincinnati

July 13 21	Chicago Fire	1–2	FC Cincinnati	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Gaitán 45+4' Corrales  73' Mihailovic  78'	Report	Cruz 1' Richey  48' Ledesma  52' Bertone  59' Adi 83'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 13,127 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

Chicago Fire v Columbus Crew

July 17 22	Chicago Fire	2–2	Columbus Crew	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Mihailovic 28' Schweinsteiger  52' Sapong 63'	Report	Zardes 47' R. Williams 90'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 7,482 Referee: Armando Villarreal

Philadelphia Union v Chicago Fire

July 20 23	Philadelphia Union	2–0	Chicago Fire	Chester, Pennsylvania
7:30 p.m. EDT	Fabián 11' Wagner  19' Fontana 65' Picault  84'	Report	Bronico  7'	Stadium: Talen Energy Stadium Attendance: 17,471 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

Chicago Fire v D.C. United

July 27 24	Chicago Fire	0–0	D.C. United	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Sapong  54' Kappelhof  58'	Report	Pines  69'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 18,232 Referee: Kevin Stott

Houston Dynamo v Chicago Fire

August 3 25	Houston Dynamo	0–1	Chicago Fire	Houston, Texas
20:00	Elis  44' Vera  46'	Report	Nikolić 45+3' Bronico  53' McCarty  67'	Stadium: BBVA Compass Stadium Attendance: 14,250 Referee: Ramy Touchan

Chicago Fire v Montreal Impact

August 10 26	Chicago Fire	3–2	Montreal Impact	Bridgeview, Illinois
20:00	McCarty 8',  74' Nikolić 19' Kronholm  32' Schweinsteiger 86'	Report	Taïder 34' (pen.) Diallo  67' Sagna 76'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 11,002

Portland Timbers v Chicago Fire

August 14 27	Portland Timbers	3–2	Chicago Fire	Portland, Oregon
22:00	Moreira 11' Fernández 21', 88' Loría  27' Ebobisse  81'	Report	Katai  30' Nikolić 74' Calvo  79' Sapong 90+2'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 25,218 Referee: Silviu Petrescu

Chicago Fire v Philadelphia Union

August 17 28	Chicago Fire	2–0	Philadelphia Union	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Nikolić 38', 45' (pen.) Gaitán  45+3'	Report	Collin  43' Monteiro  66'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 14,883 Referee: Joseph Dickerson

New England Revolution v Chicago Fire

August 24 29	New England Revolution	2–1	Chicago Fire	Foxborough, Massachusetts
18:30	Zahibo 17' Mancienne  30' Bou 86',  87'	Report	Gaitán  1' Calvo 41' Azira  90+1'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 16,236 Referee: Alex Chilowicz

Columbus Crew v Chicago Fire

August 31 30	Columbus Crew	1–1	Chicago Fire	Columbus, Ohio
18:30	Santos 27'	Report	Bornstein  46' Calvo  48' Schweinsteiger  82' Frankowski 90+4'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 16,438 Referee: Drew Fischer

Chicago Fire v FC Dallas

September 14 31	Chicago Fire	4–0	FC Dallas	Bridgeview, Illinois
14:30	Sapong 7', 29' Frankowski 16' Nikolić 39'	Report	Pomykal  5'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 12,847 Referee: Jair Marrufo

FC Cincinnati v Chicago Fire

September 21 32	FC Cincinnati	0–0	Chicago Fire	Cincinnati, Ohio
18:30	Waston  20'	Report	Sapong  25' McCarty  30'	Stadium: Nippert Stadium Attendance: 26,466 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

Chicago Fire v Toronto FC

September 29 33	Chicago Fire	2–2	Toronto FC	Bridgeview, Illinois
16:00	Katai 68' Herbers 77' Gaitán  85'	Report	Altidore 59' Delgado  69' Gonzalez 80'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Referee: Kevin Stott

Orlando City SC v Chicago Fire

October 6 34	Orlando City SC	2–5	Chicago Fire	Orlando, Florida
15:00	Akindele 5' Nani  45+1' Michel 74' Pereyra  83'	Report	Smith 17' (o.g.) Kappelhof  40' Sapong 61' Katai 63' Frankowski 67', 87' Herbers  76' Calvo  78'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 22,433 Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere

Open Cup

Main article: 2019 U.S. Open Cup

As a member of MLS, the Fire will enter the competition at the fourth round, scheduled to be played on June 12, 2019.^[34]

Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)

Saint Louis FC v Chicago Fire

June 11 Fourth round	Saint Louis FC	2–1	Chicago Fire	St. Charles, Missouri
19:30	Martz 17' Abend 21' Kamdem  71'	Report	Kappelhof  19' Nikolić 72' (pen.)	Stadium: Harlen C. Hunter Stadium Attendance: 4,456 Referee: Greg Dopka

Leagues Cup

The Fire were invited to this inaugural edition of this competition between MLS and Liga MX.

Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)

Chicago Fire v Cruz Azul

July 23 Quarterfinal	Chicago Fire	0–2	Cruz Azul	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	Marcelo  60' Herbers  72' Campos  82' Bronico  90+3'	Report	Alvarado 43' Aguilar  70' Lichnovsky  86' Hernández 90'	Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 14,213 Referee: Oshane Nation

Squad statistics

Games Played

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Name	MLS			Open Cup			Total
				Starts	Apps	Minutes	Starts	Apps	Minutes	Starts	Apps	Minutes
1	GK	DEN	David Ousted	14	14	1260				14	14	1260
2	DF	BRA	Marcelo	12	16	1147	1	1	90	13	17	1237
3	DF	USA	Jonathan Bornstein	10	10	848				10	10	848
4	DF	NED	Johan Kappelhof	28	28	2472	1	1	25	29	29	2497
5	DF	CRC	Francisco Calvo	20	22	1846				20	22	1846
6	MF	USA	Dax McCarty	31	31	2760	1	1	90	32	32	2850
7	M/D	CAN	Raheem Edwards	2	4	244	1	1	67	3	5	311
9	FW	USA	C. J. Sapong	28	31	2507	1	1	90	29	32	2597
10	MF	SRB	Aleksandar Katai	23	28	2013				23	28	2013
11	MF	POL	Przemysław Frankowski	23	30	2210				23	30	2210
12	MF	USA	Amando Moreno		7	77					7	77
13	MF	USA	Brandt Bronico	19	28	1777		1	5	19	29	1782
14	MF	USA	Djordje Mihailovic	16	26	1424	1	1	90	17	27	1514
15	DF	USA	Grant Lillard	2	4	206		1	65	2	5	271
16	MF	Uganda	Michael Azira	2	4	216				2	4	216
17	FW	CRC	Diego Campos	5	10	439	1	1	85	6	11	524
18	MF	PAN	Cristian Martinez		5	50					5	50
20	MF	ARG	Nicolás Gaitán	24	26	1967	1	1	90	25	27	2057
21	FW	GER	Fabian Herbers	7	16	730	1	1	90	7	17	820
23	FW	HUN	Nemanja Nikolić	25	30	1983	1	1	90	26	31	2073
27	GK	USA	Kenneth Kronholm	19	19	1710	1	1	90	20	20	1800
28	FW	NZL	Elliot Collier
30	GK	USA	Stefan Cleveland
31	MF	GER	Bastian Schweinsteiger	29	29	2586				29	29	2586
32	GK	USA	Gabriel Slonina
33	MF	USA	Jeremiah Gutjahr	5	8	502				5	8	502
36	DF	USA	Andre Reynolds III
45	GK	MEX	Richard Sánchez
	MF	ENG	Mo Adams	5	10	484				5	10	484
	D/M	LIE	Nicolas Hasler	1	3	73				1	3	73
	DF	CUB	Jorge Luis Corrales	13	15	1036		1	23	13	16	1059

Goalkeeping Statistics

No.	Nat.	Name	MLS			Open Cup			Total
			Clean sheets	Saves	GA	Clean sheets	Saves	GA	Clean sheets	Saves	GA
1	DEN	David Ousted	4	35	20				4	35	20
27	USA	Kenneth Kronholm	4	47	25		1	2	4	48	27
30	USA	Stefan Cleveland
32	USA	Gabriel Slonina
45	MEX	Richard Sánchez

Goalscoring and Assisting Record

MLS Regular Season Rank Player A 1 C. J. Sapong 12 2 2 Nemanja Nikolić 12 1 3 Aleksandar Katai 5 6 4 Nicolás Gaitán 4 12 5 Francisco Calvo 3 2 6 Przemysław Frankowski 3 9 7 Djordje Mihailovic 3 1 8 Fabian Herbers 3 9 Dax McCarty 1 3 Bastian Schweinsteiger 11 Brandt Bronico 1 2 12 Raheem Edwards 1 13 Johan Kappelhof 2 14 Mo Adams 1 Jeremiah Gutjahr

Open Cup Rank Player A 1 Nemanja Nikolić 1

MLS Regular Season Rank Player A 1 Nemanja Nikolić 13 1 2 C. J. Sapong 12 2 3 Aleksandar Katai 5 6 4 Nicolás Gaitán 4 12 5 Francisco Calvo 3 2 6 Przemysław Frankowski 3 9 7 Djordje Mihailovic 3 1 8 Fabian Herbers 3 9 Dax McCarty 1 3 Bastian Schweinsteiger 11 Brandt Bronico 1 2 12 Raheem Edwards 1 13 Johan Kappelhof 2 14 Mo Adams 1 Jeremiah Gutjahr

Cards

MLS Regular Season Rank Player   Matches Missed 1 Jorge Luis Corrales 4 1 March 16 vs Seattle Sounders 2 Aleksandar Katai 2 1 August 17 vs Philadelphia Union August 24 vs New England 3 Nicolás Gaitán 2 1 Suspension lifted 4 Bastian Schweinsteiger 10 May 18 vs San Jose Earthquakes July 13 vs FC Cincinnati 5 Mo Adams 4 Johan Kappelhof Dax McCarty Djordje Mihailovic 9 Francisco Calvo 3 Przemysław Frankowski Nemanja Nikolić C. J. Sapong 13 Brandt Bronico 2 Raheem Edwards Fabian Herbers 16 Michael Azira 1 Jonathan Bornstein Diego Campos Jeremiah Gutjahr Marcelo

Rank Player   Matches Missed 1 Johan Kappelhof 1

Totals Rank Player   Matches Missed 1 Jorge Luis Corrales 4 1 March 16 vs Seattle Sounders 2 Aleksandar Katai 2 1 August 17 vs Philadelphia Union August 24 vs New England 3 Nicolás Gaitán 2 1 Suspension lifted 4 Bastian Schweinsteiger 10 May 18 vs San Jose Earthquakes July 13 vs FC Cincinnati 5 Johan Kappelhof 5 6 Mo Adams 4 Dax McCarty Djordje Mihailovic 9 Francisco Calvo 3 Przemysław Frankowski Nemanja Nikolić C. J. Sapong 13 Brandt Bronico 2 Raheem Edwards Fabian Herbers 16 Michael Azira 1 Jonathan Bornstein Diego Campos Jeremiah Gutjahr Marcelo

Note: Italics indicates a player who left during the season

Player Awards

Fire Awards

Man of the Match Awards

Game #	Player	Position	Notable Statistics	Reference
1	David Ousted	GK	3 SV, 2 GA	[35]
2	C. J. Sapong	MF	1 G, 1 SOG	[36]
3	Przemysław Frankowski	MF	1 A	[37]
4	Mo Adams	MF	2 tackles, 3 interceptions, 74% passing	[38]
5	C. J. Sapong (2)	MF	1 G	[39]
6	Dax McCarty	MF	4 key passes, 12 recoveries	[40]
7	Nicolás Gaitán	MF	2 A	[41]
8	David Ousted (2)	GK	2 SV, 1 GA	[42]
9	Johan Kappelhof	DF	7 recoveries, 1 tackle	[43]
10	Przemysław Frankowski (2)	DF	5 tackles	[44]
11	Nemanja Nikolić	FW	2 goals	[45]
12	Johan Kappelhof (2)	DF	1 A	[46]
13	No player named
14	C. J. Sapong (3)	F	1 G	[47]
15	Nicolás Gaitán (2)	MF	1 A	[48]
16	No player named
17	Aleksandar Katai	MF	1 G	[49]
18	No player named
19	Nicolás Gaitán (3)	MF	1 G, 3 A	[50]
20	No player named
21	Dax McCarty (2)	MF		[51]
22	Johan Kappelhof (2)	DF		[52]
23	No player named
24	Johan Kappelhof (3)	DF		[53]
25	Kenneth Kronholm	GK	4 SV	[54]
26	Bastian Schweinsteiger	MF	1 G	[55]
27	Nemanja Nikolić (2)	FW	1 G	[56]
28	Nemanja Nikolić (3)	FW	2 G	[57]
29	No player named
30	Przemysław Frankowski (3)	MF	1 G	[58]
31	C. J. Sapong (4)	MF	2 G	[59]
32	Francisco Calvo	DF		[60]
33
34

MLS Player of the Week

Week	Player	Stats	Report
11	Nicolás Gaitán	2 G, 2 A, 2 wins	[61]

MLS Team of the Week

Week	Player	Position	Report
5	Bastian Schweinsteiger	D	[62]
	Dax McCarty	Bench
6	Aleksandar Katai	M	[63]
7	Bastian Schweinsteiger (2)	D	[64]
8	Nicolás Gaitán	Bench	[65]
10	Dax McCarty (2)	Bench	[66]
11	Francisco Calvo	D	[67]
	Nicolás Gaitán (2)	M
	Aleksandar Katai (2)	Bench
18	Nicolás Gaitán (3)	Bench	[68]
	C. J. Sapong
22	Nicolás Gaitán (4)	Bench	[69]
23	Bastian Schweinsteiger (3)	D	[70]
24	Nemanja Nikolić	F	[71]
26	Przemysław Frankowski	Bench	[72]
28	Przemysław Frankowski (2)	M	[73]
	C. J. Sapong (2)	Bench
31	Przemysław Frankowski (3)	M	[74]

Affiliate Loans

Nelson Rodriguez announced on January 8, 2019, that the Fire's affiliation with Tulsa had ended, and that they'd affiliate with Indy Eleven in the USL Championship and Lansing Ignite in USL League One for the year.^[75] The following players were loaned to either team above:

Date	Player	Position	Destination Club	Return Date	Ref
March 1, 2019	Raheem Edwards	D/M/F	Lansing	March 16, 2019	[31][33]
May 16, 2019	Stefan Cleveland	G	Lansing		[76]
May 16, 2019	Grant Lillard	D	Lansing		[76]
May 24, 2019	Diego Campos	D/M	Lansing		[77]

National team call-ups

 Armenia
Yura Movsisyan

• UEFA Nations League Match vs Gibraltar, November 16, 2018 (Started, played 70 minutes, scored four goals)
• UEFA Nations League Match vs Liechtenstein, November 19, 2018 (Started, played 90 minutes)

 Canada
Raheem Edwards

• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Preliminary Roster

 Costa Rica
Francisco Calvo

• Friendly vs Peru, June 5, 2019 (Did not play)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match vs Nicaragua, June 16, 2019 (Did not play)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match vs Bermuda, June 20, 2019 (Did not play)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match vs Haiti, June 24, 2019 (Started, played 90 minutes)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match vs Mexico, June 29, 2019 (Subbed on, played 21 minutes)
• Friendly vs Uruguay, September 6 (Did not play)

 Liechtenstein
Nicolas Hasler

• UEFA Nations League Match vs Macedonia, November 16, 2018 (Started, played 90 minutes)
• UEFA Nations League Match vs Armenia, November 19, 2018 (Started, played 90 minutes, scored one goal)
• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Greece, March 23, 2019 (Started, played 86 minutes)
• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Italy, March 26, 2019 (Started, played 90 minutes)

Panama national under-23 football team
Cristian Martínez

 Poland
Przemysław Frankowski

• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Austria, March 21 (Subbed on, played 45 minutes)
• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Latvia, March 24 (Subbed on, played 7 minutes)
• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs North Macedonia, June 7 (Started, played 46 minutes))
• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Israel, June 10 (Did not play)

 Serbia
Aleksandar Katai

• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Ukraine, June 7 (Did not play)
• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Lithuania, June 10 (Subbed on, played 3 minutes, 1 assist)
• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Portugal, September 7 (Subbed on, played 7 minutes)
• Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Luxembourg, September 10 (Started, played 46 minutes)

United States
Senior Team
Djordje Mihailovic

• Friendly vs Panama, January 27, 2019 (Started, played 62 minutes, scored one goal)
• Friendly vs Costa Rica, February 2, 2019 (Started, played 63 minutes)
• Friendly vs Jamaica, June 5, 2019 (Started, played 90 minutes)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match vs Guyana, June 18, 2019 (Subbed on, played 16 minutes)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match vs Trinidad and Tobago, June 22, 2019 (Did not play)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match vs Panama, June 26, 2019 (Started, played 90 minutes)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match vs Curaçao, June 30, 2019 (Did not play)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Match vs Jamaica, July 3, 2019 (Did not play)
• 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final vs Mexico, July 7, 2019 (Did not play)

U-23 Team
Djordje Mihailovic

• Friendly vs Egypt, March 22, 2019 (Started, played 45 minutes)
• Friendly vs Netherlands, March 24, 2019 (Started, played 90 minutes)
• Friendly vs Japan, September 9 (Started, played 90 minutes)

U-15 Team
Gabriel Slonina

• Torneo delle Nazioni group stage match vs India, April 28, 2019 (Started, played 90 minutes, clean sheet)
• Torneo delle Nazioni group stage match vs Slovenia, April 29, 2019 (Did not play)
• Torneo delle Nazioni group stage match vs Mexico, April 30, 2019 (Started, played 90 minutes)
• Torneo delle Nazioni 9th-12th consolation match qualifier vs England, May 2, 2019 (Did not play)
• Torneo delle Nazioni 9th consolation match vs Norway, May 4, 2019

Note: Italics indicates player left after his first call up