After struggling to find victories in MLS play recently, the Chicago Fire had a little fun in their first trip of 2025 to SeatGeek Stadium in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
And it carried over back to the MLS.
The Fire hadn’t won in MLS action since March 22, but their May 7 game in Bridgeview was a success as they beat United Soccer League Championship member Detroit 4-0 in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 in front of an announced crowd of 4,374.
They followed it up three days later with a 2-1 MLS victory over Atlanta at Soldier Field in front of an announced crowd of 22,741.
Hugo Cuypers got the Fire (4-4-4 MLS) going in both matches. He scored the first goal in the fourth minute of the Detroit game and opened the Atlanta game with a penalty kick score in the 14th minute. It was his eighth goal of the MLS season.
In the Detroit match, the Fire also received an own goal in the 35th minute, Omari Glasgow scored in the 49th minute and Maren Halle-Selassie scored in the 71st
Goalie Chris Brady recorded the clean sheet and had two saves.
The way things have been going for the Fire in MLS competition, coach Gregg Berhalter was glad to see the team perform just as he drew it up against Detroit.
“You talk about your intentions for the match and what you want to do,” he said. “Now, to see it come from the pregame meeting to now on the field where the guys showed the right mindset from the beginning … was really important.”
The Fire advance to the Round of 16 on the road against the New England Revolution at 6:30 p.m. May 20.
The Fire return to MLS play at 6:30 p.m. May 17 with a road game at Charlotte.
Stars score, but lose
The Chicago Stars, who were scoreless since April 13, put a pair of goals on the board but suffered a 3-2 NWSL loss to Washington on May 10 at SeatGeek Stadium.
Julie Grosso and Sam Staab scored in the 36th and 54th minutes respectively for Chicago (1-6-1) in interim coach Masaki Hemmi’s second game.
The Stars visit North Carolina at 3 p.m. May 17.
Swanson mystery solved
Stars super-scorer Mallory Swanson, who has not played in 2025 for what were termed personal seasons, revealed on social media on May 7 that she is pregnant with her first child.
Swanson, who is married to Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, will likely be out for the rest of the Stars season.
Fire II win again
The Chicago Fire II beat FC Cincinnati 2-1 on May 9 at SeatGeek Stadium in an MLS NEXT Pro game.
Jean-Alpha Diouf and Jason Shokalook each scored their second goals of the season for the Fire (4-4-0).
The Fire visit New York City FC II May 23.
Future home match sites are to be determined, with Fire officials saying the availability of SeatGeek Stadium will be a factor in where they will play.
Hounds lose to champs
The Chicago Hounds led two-time defending Major League Rugby champion New England by five at halftime, but couldn’t maintain the lead and fell 27-17 on the road.
Mason Flesch, Dylan Fawsitt and Noah Brown scored in the first 30 minutes for the promising start for the Hounds (8-4-0), but the offense sputtered after that.
Chicago has a rare Monday night game scheduled at 7 p.m. May 19 against Rugby FC Los Angeles at SeatGeek Stadium.