Chicago Fire FC kicks off a two-game road trip Wednesday night against Atlanta United FC. The Eastern Conference matchup will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will be broadcast across the globe on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. It will be transmitted locally in English on wlsam.com and in Spanish on Que Buena Fire via the Uforia App.
The Men in Red are on the road just days after falling to Western Conference leaders San Diego FC at Soldier Field. MLS All-Star Anders Dreyer scored twice to lead the visitors, while Fire forward Hugo Cuypers tallied his 12th goal of the season in the 2-1 result. He and the Fire frontline will look to continue their strong form away from home, scoring more than any other road team in Major League Soccer.
To that end, Chicago Fire FC Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has named the following Starting XI against the Five Stripes:
- Two changes have been made to the Starting XI that featured in the Fire’s inaugural match against San Diego FC last Saturday.
- Dje D’Avilla will make his first start in Major League Soccer in the midfield for Chicago. The Ivorian midfielder will make his ninth regular-season appearance of 2025 and his fourth start across all competitions after featuring in the Starting XI in all three of Chicago’s Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup matches this year.
- Defender Jonathan Dean will check in at right back for tonight’s midweek match. The Macon, Ga. native returns to his home state to start his 13th match of 2025 and his first since recording a season-high fourth assist against Charlotte FC on June 28.
- Lining up along with Dean in the backline are left back Andrew Gutman and center backs Sam Rogers and Jack Elliott, the latter of whom wears the captain’s armband for the 16th time in 2025. Tonight’s match will also be the fourth in a row in league play to feature Gutman, Rogers, and Elliott together in the XI.
- Homegrown goalkeeper Chris Brady is back in goal for the 80th regular season start in as many appearances of his career. The Naperville native will aim for his 23rd career win and second straight clean sheet against Atlanta United after recording one on April 27, 2024, at Soldier Field.
- Homegrown midfielders Sergio Oregel Jr. and Brian Gutiérrez will line up alongside D’Avilla for the first time in a Starting XI this season. The start will be Oregel's 20th this season, tying him for the most among midfielders this season alongside Mauricio Pineda, who will begin the match on the bench tonight
- Looking for a third straight goal contribution on the road is Jonathan Bamba, who continues his perfect attendance with his 22nd start of 2025. The winger last added a team-high eighth assist in MLS All-Star Philip Zinckernagel’s ninth goal of the season against FC Cincinnati on July 5. Zinckernagel remains in the starting lineup for the 20th time this season, looking for a goal contribution of his own in a Club-record ninth straight road match.
- Fresh off his 12th goal of the season against San Diego on Saturday is forward Hugo Cuypers, starts his 21st match of 2025. The Belgian will look for lucky number 13 in Atlanta, against whom he scored in their last meeting on May 10, a 2-1 victory for Chicago.
- Defenders Carlos Terán (Lower Body), Justin Reynolds (Head), and Christopher Cupps (Lower Body); and midfielders Chris Mueller (Not Due to Injury) and David Poreba (Lower Body) are unavailable for selection tonight.
- Besides Pineda, goalkeeper Jeff Gal; defenders Leonardo Barroso and Omar González; midfielders Rominigue Kouamé, Maren Haile-Selassie, Kellyn Acosta and Omari Glasgow; and forward Tom Barlow are available off the bench for Berhalter this evening.
