After a dominating second-half takeover, the Chicago Fire (5W-2D-2L) defeated Sporting Kansas City (1W-1D-7L) 5-0 on April 25 at Soldier Field.
The Men in Red extended their unbeaten streak to six games in all competitions after scoring five unanswered goals in the second half.
“In the first half, the ball movement was a little bit too slow,” Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said. “The message at halftime was [that] we needed to speed up the play, we need to play behind them; we need to get numbers in the penalty box. The guys did a really good job of executing [and] staying patient.”
In the first half, the Fire struggled to break free in the final third and put together the final pass needed to set them up in front of the goal.
Minutes into the second half, Chicago broke free after a shot from Fire defender Andrew Gutman hit Sporting KC’s Ian James’ hand in the penalty area, giving the Fire the golden opportunity they were working for.
Although Fire forward Hugo Cuypers’ initial penalty attempt was saved by Sporting KC’s goalkeeper, Philip Zinckernagel followed through with the rebound, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute.
In the 65th minute, Zinckernagel earned a brace after a combination play between teammates Robin Lod and Maren Haile-Selassie, which set him up for a right-footed shot that doubled the lead.
Zinckernagel returned to his 2025 form after recording his first multi-goal scoring performance along with an assist since joining the team.
The Danish winger has a goal contribution in five straight matches across all competitions.
Eight minutes later, Cuypers became the first player in Fire history to score in six consecutive games.
The goal came after Zingernagel received a long-distance through ball from Haile-Selassie, setting up a perfect cross opportunity that allowed the Belgian forward to extend the lead to 3-0.
“It was all about staying patient,” Cuypers said. “We saw how [KC] stayed back, and it was hard for us to create chances. We adjusted some small things at halftime, and it worked. [I’m] so happy with the team's performance tonight.”
Eight minutes into stoppage time, Cuypers earned a brace after Fire defender Jack Elliott got a foot on the ball that set up an assist that initially came from a corner kick opportunity.
Cuyper’s two-goal performance moves him into fourth place on the Fire’s all-time scoring list with 39 goals.
“It's a joy to coach a guy like that," Berhalter said. “In his way, he tells us all the time that he's 100 percent committed to winning. It's not loud, screaming at the top of his lungs. He comes to work, and when he plays the game, he competes. It's important to have a guy like that leading the line.”
In the 79th minute, Haile-Selassie scored his second goal of the 2026 season for the Fire off an assist from Fire defender Andrew Gutman and dribbling past KC’s goalkeeper during a counterattack.
“In the first half, we did a good job,” Haile-Selassie said. “It was just a matter of time. If we kept playing, even after the first goal, we were in the flow, and you saw the qualities that we have.”
The Fire went up against former head coach Raphael Wicky, who managed the Fire in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Wicky joined KC’s coaching staff in January 2026.
Due to Fire forward Jonathan Bamba having to miss his second consecutive match due a non-injury issue, Fire winger Puso Dithejane made his first career MLS start.
The South African prodigy played for about 61 minutes, while his South-African teammate Mbekezeli Mbokazi remained on the bench for the entirety of the match due to rotation purposes.
“[Puso] gave us everything we wanted,” Berhalter said. [He was] good on defense, lively in one-v-ones, and as he gets more rhythm, he’s going to prove to be a formidable player in this league.”
The Fire will take on St. Louis City SC in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at 7 p.m. CT on April 29 at SeatGeek Stadium. In MLS play, the Men in Red will rematch FC Cincinnati (3W-3D-4L) on May 2 at Soldier Field.
