FC Cincinnati has a chance to improve their season as they face the Chicago Fire on Saturday night.
Cincinnati (2-4-1, 7 points) has had a tough time since their opening match win. They are struggling with a slow offense and a shaky defense, currently sharing the third-worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference at minus-6. A significant loss on March 15 against New England accounts for much of that difference.
Head coach Pat Noonan emphasized the need for consistency, saying, “We just need to be better all-around in our play, wherever we’re playing.”
Kevin Denkey will miss the match due to a suspension from a red card received in their last game, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Toronto on April 11. Denkey has two goals this season, a far cry from the 33 goals he and Evander scored together for Cincinnati in 2025.
Cincinnati has a home record of 2-1-0 in MLS regular-season games and will play their first home match since March 22. They have four more home games in the next five weeks.
Chicago (4-2-1, 13 points) is currently second in the Eastern Conference and is building on their return to the MLS Cup playoffs from last year.
Midfielder Mauricio Pineda pointed out the team’s motivation: “Since the beginning of the season, we have always shown that we have something to prove this year.”
The Fire are on a three-match winning streak and will only have one road match in a six-match stretch from April 4 to May 9.
Hugo Cuypers is the leading goal scorer for the Fire with four goals, followed by Jonathan Bamba with two.
Cincinnati leads the all-time series against Chicago 7-4-3 and won all match-ups in 2025. The teams will meet again on May 2 in Chicago.