Match Information
Chicago Fire FC (8-4-2, 26 points) at Inter Miami CF (9-2-4, 31 points)
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
6:30 p.m. CT
Nu Stadium – Miami
How to Watch: Apple TV
English: Jake Zivin & Taylor Twellman
Spanish: Sammy Sadovnik, Diego Valeri & Antonella González
How to Listen: WLS 890 AM // TUDN Chicago 106.7-HD2
English: Rudy Hodgson & Joe Chatz
Spanish: Omar Ramos & Teresa Limon
Match Preview
After enduring a homecoming match postponement, Chicago Fire FC will finally return from a lengthy FIFA World Cup break, taking to the road to face Inter Miami CF on Wednesday, July 22 at Nu Stadium.
Chicago closed out the first half of the regular season with a primetime match against Toronto FC on May 23 at Soldier Field. Although Toronto tied the match following Robin Lod’s opening tally, defender Andrew Gutman sent the Fire into the break on a three-game winning streak with a header off a Philip Zinckernagel cross. The fans were treated to a victory ahead of a tournament that featured three Men in Red – goalkeeper Chris Brady (United States) and defenders Mbekezeli Mbokazi (South Africa) and Joel Waterman (Canada).
The Men in Red’s first opponent of the second half will be the defending MLS Cup champions, Inter Miami CF, who are second in the Eastern Conference 15 games into the season. Since a season-opening loss to LAFC at the iconic Rose Bowl, the Herons have only fallen one other time in regular season play. It will be the first time Chicago plays at Miami’s Nu Stadium and the first time they meet in South Florida since a 5-3 victory in September 2025 that clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2017.
All-Time MLS Regular Season Record vs. MIA: (5-3-2)
Last Game vs. MIA: April 13, 2026 (0-0 D) – Soldier Field – Chicago (Match Recap)
Last Game at MIA: Sept. 20, 2025 (5-3 W) – Chase Stadium – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Match Recap)
Keys to the Match:
- At Last! We’re finally back! Two months and one postponed match later, the Men in Red are back in action – against the defending champions, no less. The itch to compete that was not scratched on Thursday will make way for a massive Eastern Conference showdown on the road.
- Nu House Smell: Miami’s brand-new home, Nu Stadium, will host Chicago for the first time in its three-month existence. The Fire's had plenty of good memories in South Florida – their first match in 1998 was a 2-0 win in Ft. Lauderdale. The last match? A 5-3 win to clinch a postseason berth last September.
- Taking Our Talents to South Beach: A high-scoring Fire squad that tallied five times on its last trip to South Florida just added another piece: Robert Lewandowski, one of the sport’s greatest players of all time. Is a league debut in hand for Robert – and will it come with goals?
Match Notes
- Chicago will play at Nu Stadium for the first time in Club history on Wednesday night. The Fire have a 2-2-1 all-time record in regular season play in South Florida, reaching the record with a 5-3 win in Ft. Lauderdale that gave Chicago a postseason berth for the first time since 2017. Five different goalscorers tallied that night, including current players Dje D’Avilla and Jonathan Dean.
- Six current Fire players have tallied at least once against Miami, led by Chris Mueller’s three goals in 11 matches. Maren Haile-Selassie has also scored twice, while Andrew Gutman, Robin Lod, D’Avilla and Dean have done so once in the series. Luis Suarez leads all current players in the all-time series with four goals for Miami.
- Philip Zinckernagel will look for this fourth straight match with a goal contribution on Wednesday in Miami. The Danish winger has recorded a goal or assist in eight of his last nine matches, holding a total of 42 goal contributions in his second year with Chicago Fire FC. That mark is five short of reaching a tie for top 10 in Club history; three more assists would see him tied with Maren Haile-Selassie for 10th place in total assists in Club history (25).
Starting XI
Chicago Fire FC Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has named the following Starting XI tasked with starting the second half of the season with three points:
- Four changes were made to the Starting XI that closed out the first half of the season with a 2-1 win against Toronto FC on May 23 at Soldier Field.
- The wait is over – Robert Lewandowski will make his highly-anticipated debut from the outset at forward. The global football icon is the seventh Poland-born player to take the pitch with Chicago. He will look to become the 14th player to score in his Major League Soccer debut as a member of the Fire and the first since Rominigue Kouamé in a 3-1 road win at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on March 22, 2025.
- Jonathan Bamba returns to the pitch for the first time since May 13. The winger will take up his customary spot on the left, playing in support of Lewandowski and Maren Haile-Selassie, who lines up along the Polish striker up top.
- The midfield will be marshaled by Dje D’Avilla, who will feature in his 35th regular season match with the Men in Red. The Ivorian midfielder scored the opening goal in Chicago’s last match against Miami, the 5-3 victory on Sept. 30, 2025 that clinched an MLS Cup Playoffs spot. In his 11th start of 2026, D’Avilla will share the center of the pitch with Anton Salétros, who played all 90 minutes in the victory against Toronto before the break.
- After joining the Canada Men’s National Team at FIFA World Cup 2026, defender Joel Waterman will start his seventh match of the year in the heart of the Fire backline. Waterman will share defensive duties with captain Jack Elliott once more, who just broke the 23,000-minute mark in MLS regular season play in the win against Toronto.
- Another World Cup call-up, Chris Brady, will start tonight in Miami. The Homegrown goalkeeper returns from international duty with the U.S. Men’s National Team looking for his fourth win in seven matches against Miami and seventh shutout of the year.
- Supporting Brady, Elliott and Waterman are fullbacks Jonathan Dean and Andrew Gutman. Dean also started at right back in the last match against Miami, scoring the second of a five-goal outburst for Chicago. Gutman played all 90 that night as well at left back, in search of a second straight match with a goal after tallying the game-winner against the Reds at Soldier Field.
- Philip Zinckernagel will look to continue the red-hot form that drove the Fire’s current three-game winning streak. The Danish winger recorded four goal contributions in those three matches, including an assist on Gutman’s game-winning goal in the last victory of the first half.
- Goalkeeper Josh Cohen; defenders Leonardo Barroso, Sam Rogers and Viktor Radojević; midfielders Mauricio Pineda and Sergio Oregel Jr.; winger Puso Dithejane; and forwards Robin Lod and Jason Shokalook are available off the bench for Berhalter.
- Defenders Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Lower Body) and Christopher Cupps (International Duty) and winger Chris Mueller (Not Due to Injury) are unavailable for selection against Miami. Midfielder André Franco (Lower Body) remains on the league Injured List and is projected to return in the second half of the season.
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