Chicago Fire will begin in their final seven-match stretch of the MLS regular season just outside of the Eastern Conference postseason spots this weekend when they host the New England Revolution in Bridgeview.
The Fire (11-10-6, 39 points) are looking to rebound after their 4-0 loss at the Philadelphia Union on August 23, which could’ve been even more lopsided, and had an extra week to do so thanks to Inter Miami’s run in the Leagues Cup.
The club needs to respond this weekend against a New England side that they will go against twice in this final stretch, and Chicago likely needs to get six points from those two contests if they want to compete in the postseason for the first time since 2017.
The extra week off has provided ample time for the Fire to recover, and starting left back Andrew Gutman told reporters that the intensity has been raised during training sessions.
“The last two weeks we’ve been training hard, improving on things that happened in the Philly game that we don’t want to happen again,” Gutman said on Thursday. “And then for us, it’s just kind of moving on from it. We’re still in a good position to make the playoffs, so it’s a seven-game sprint for us. We just got to get it done.”
Chicago have been one of the best scoring sides in Major League Soccer with a fifth-best 50 goals scored but the defending has lagged behind while conceding 48 goals (joint eighth-worst in MLS) this season. The Fire’s locker room is more than aware of their shortcomings on the defensive side of the pitch, according to Gutman.
“It’s just something we need to get better at. Every team takes risks going forward, and then it’s just about how you’re able to defend when you’re going forward or even when we don’t have the ball, our defensive shape, and our mid or low block.
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“I think it’s just a combination of everything that we just have to focus more on it and defend better as a team. There are some games where we defend really well and there are some games where we don’t defend well. I think we just need to get to a point where we are consistently doing well defensively throughout 90 minutes.”
Gutman, who turns 29 in October, hasn’t had much competition at the Fire’s left back spot in 2025 with Chase Gasper’s extended return from injury. While Jonathan Dean has done an admirable job filling in as a right-footed outside back on the left side, Chicago made the decision to sign left back Viktor Radojević.
The Serbian left back provides a younger option at the position but Gutman says he won’t let the competition between the two players get in the way of the veteran helping him improve.
“This year was a little bit unusual, right? Normally, throughout the season, there are always at least two people in that position, so you’re always competing with someone.
“For me, it’s something that I always want to be out on the field. I always want to help contribute to the team. But at the same time, I believe that the staff makes good signings to make the team better.
“So when he comes in with us, we’ll see how he is and everything. If I can help him improve, then I definitely will.”
From the rest of my notebook:
Gregg Berhalter
The Fire’s head coach and director of football echoed his starting left back’s sentiment about the club’s response to that ill-fated evening in Chester, Pennsylvania, two weeks ago.
“It’s been a good couple weeks of training,” Berhalter said during his weekly media availability. “The key was [to[ raise the intensity from the Philly game in training sessions and apply ourselves. I think the group did that really well. I look at the workloads we’ve had in the last two weeks and it’s been really good. Guys have been working hard.
“For us, seven games left in the season. We want to qualify for the playoffs so we know this is a big game. [New England head coach] Caleb [Porter] has been there before. He gets his teams ready to play. They have a good attacking group in their team, like to get their fullbacks forward. It will be a good test for us.”
The Chicago Fire will be going against long-time USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner on Saturday evening on Saturday evening and Berhalter is preparing for a difficult test in front of goal.
“Matt, at his best, is difficult to beat. He comes up with big saves time and time again, covers a lot of the goal, and can intimidate the strikers that shoot against him. I know him really well. Quality goalkeeper. It’s really nice to see him getting regular football again. He’s definitely helped New England.”
Jonathan Dean
Leonardo Barroso is away on international duty with Portugal’s U21s, leaving Jonathan Dean as the de facto starting right back for Saturday’s contest against New England.
Dean has once again proven to be a reliable piece for the Fire at both right and left back in 2025, covering on the left for the lack of depth that Andrew Gutman alluded to above in his third season with the club.
The Fire’s do-it-all outside back has appeared in 24 matches in all competitions in 2025, lifting his total to 73 appearances since he signed with Chicago ahead of the 2023 MLS season and has impressed the new boss with his performances throughout the campaign.
“It has to do with his mindset and his competitiveness,” Berhalter said. “He’s a competitor. He showed us from day one in preseason that he was here to compete for minutes. He’s done a great job in that. It’s not a surprise.
“He’s a guy we would want to keep around because of his veteran presence, but also because of his worth ethic and what he brings each and every day to training. We are confident when he is in the field, and it’s good he gets games like this to maintain his fitness and be able to continue to help the group.”
Dean is a free agent after the 2025 MLS season and it sounds like he could be playing his way into a new contract with the Chicago Fire.
Fire II
Chicago Fire II, Chicago’s MLS Next Pro side, have loaned winger Claudio Cassano to FC Lugano* in Switzerland’s Super League through the 2026 MLS season, per Alex Calabrese, which On Tap Sports Net can confirm.
Cassano, 22, joined Chicago Fire II in the winter from Citadella in Italy’s second tier, Serie B, after spending the last two seasons there following his departure from AS Roma’s youth system. He was rumored to be moving to Avellino in Serie B earlier in the summer but that deal fell through.
The winger has been a force for Fire II in MLS Next Pro and it quickly became clear that his talent level was above that of MLS’s development league. Cassano has ten goals and ten assists in 21 MLS Next Pro matches (all starts), topping the league’s goal contribution list with over a month left in the regular season.
The Chicago Fire organization still believes in Cassano’s talent but think that he has done all he can in MLS Next Pro and the Fire don’t have an international roster spot to use that would allow the winger to compete in Major League Soccer.
It wouldn’t be surprising if Chicago brings Cassano back for the 2026 MLS preseason in hopes that he can earn a first-team contract after his time with a FC Lugano side that needs some help amidst a slow start to the Swiss Super League season.
*Reminder: FC Lugano are also owned by Chicago Fire owner Joe Mansueto.
Chicago Fire II will be off this weekend before hosting FC Cincinnati 2 for a matinee kickoff on September 10 in Bridgeview as they look to build on their shootout win over New England Revolution II.
What’s On Tap Next?
The Fire will host the New England Revolution at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview on September 6. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+
Follow @soccer_ontap on X for more Chicago Fire news and updates!