NEW YORK (July 25, 2026) – Chicago Fire FC (8-6-2, 26 points) fell 3-1 against New York City FC (7-6-4, 25 points) Saturday night at Yankee Stadium. Joel Waterman scored his first goal of the season for the Men in Red, who remain in the top four of the Eastern Conference with 26 points.
The hosts scored first in the Bronx when Nicolas Fernández capitalized on a rebound in the 11th minute that he sent into the upper left corner from distance.
Chicago responded 10 minutes later with a goal of their own. Anton Salétros and Philip Zinckernagel lined up to take a free kick on the right side, with Salétros sending the cross into the box. A New York defender headed the ball, sending it up and toward the far post, where Waterman had continued his run and was in place to send the ball inside the left post with his left foot.
New York reclaimed the lead in the 29th minute as Agustin Ojeda capitalized on a through ball from Andres Perea, then added a third to secure the final scoreline in the 40th minute by way of Malachi Jones.
NEXT MATCH: Chicago Fire FC returns to Soldier Field for the first time since May for an Eastern Conference matchup against Charlotte FC on Saturday, August 1. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast globally on Apple TV and transmitted locally on wlsam.com in English and TUDN Chicago 106.7-HD2 and Uforia by TREBEL app in Spanish.
Match Notes:
- Joel Waterman started his second straight match for the Chicago Fire, scoring his first goal of the season and second goal overall for the Men in Red.
- Leonardo Barroso returned to the pitch for the first time since sustaining an injury in the victory against Atlanta United FC on April 11 at Soldier Field.
- Defenders Christopher Cupps (International Duty) and Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Lower Body), and winger Chris Mueller (Not Due to Injury) were unavailable for selection tonight. Midfielder André Franco (Lower Body) remains on the league Injured List and is projected to return later in the second half of the season.
Social: Twitter - @chicagofire, @vamosfire (Hashtags: #cf97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook
Box Score:
New York City FC 3:1 Chicago Fire FC
Goals:
NYC - Fernandez (12) (WATCH) 11’
CHI - Waterman (1) (WATCH) 21’
NYC - Ojeda (5) (Perea 1) (WATCH) 29’
NYC - Jones (1) (Ojeda 5) (WATCH) 40’
Discipline:
CHI - D’Avilla (Caution) 51’
NYC - Fernandez (Caution) 62’
CHI - Waterman (Caution) 77’
CHI - Dithejane (Caution) 80’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Barroso (Dean, 46’), D Waterman, D Elliott (capt.), D Radojević (Gutman, 71’), M Salétros, M D’Avilla (Pineda, 63’), M Zinckernagel, M Bamba, F Lod (Dithejane, 71’), F Haile-Selassie (Lewandowski, 46’)
Subs not used: GK Cohen, D Rogers, M Oregel Jr., F Shokalook
Head Coach: Gregg Berhalter
New York City FC: GK Freese, D Gray, D Martins (capt.), D Sands, D Carvallo, M Shore (Farnos, 85’), M Fernández, M Perea, F Ojeda (Ilenič, 90+2’), F Magno (Wolf, 85’), F Jones (Traore, 69’)
Subs not used: GK Romero, M Pierre, M Carrizo, F Murray, F Reid
Head Coach: Pascal Jansen
Stats Summary: NYC / CHI
Shots: 11 / 9
Shots on Goal: 3 / 6
Saves: 5 / 0
Passing Accuracy: 79.5% / 83.6%
Corners: 1 / 2
Fouls: 8 / 16
Offsides: 5 / 2
Venue: Yankee Stadium (New York)
Attendance: 27,419
Referee: Ricardo Montero Araya
Assistant Referees: Matthew Nelson, Walt Heatherly
Fourth Official: Marcos de Oliveira II
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki
