Chicago Fire FC (4-2-1, 13 points) defeated Atlanta United FC (1-5-1, 4 points) on Saturday night at Soldier Field as winger Maren Haile-Selassie scored his first goal of the season and goalkeeper Chris Brady recorded a second straight shutout.
The victory propelled the Fire to second place in the Eastern Conference standings and marked the fourth clean sheet of the season for Brady, and his 21st overall.
Haile-Selassie and Robin Lod once again started at the top of the attack for the Fire, and it was Haile-Selassie who opened the scoring for the Men in Red in the 13th minute. The play started with Philip Zinckernagel carrying the ball into the right side of the box. Zinckernagel sent in a square pass to Jonathan Bamba at the penalty spot, who tapped it toward the top of the box with a defender at his back. Haile-Selassie picked up the pass, sending home a one-time shot past goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos.
NEXT MATCH: It’s a double matchweek for the Fire as Chicago will travel to the Mitten to face USL Championship side Detroit City FC in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff at Keyworth Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, April 14, on Paramount+. The Men in Red will then head to Ohio to take on FC Cincinnati on Saturday, April 18. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on Apple TV and transmitted locally on wlsam.com and the Uforia by TREBEL app.
Notes:
- Winger Maren Haile-Selassie scored his first goal of 2026, and his 14th overall for the Men in Red, set up by Jonathan Bamba who tallied his second assist of the season.
- Homegrown goalkeeper Chris Brady recorded the 21st shutout of his regular season career and fourth of the season. Brady recorded five saves against Atlanta.
- A goal-line save and outstanding defensive performance that included a goal-line clearance earned South African defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi Xerox Man of the Match honors.
- Forward Hugo Cuypers (Head); midfielders Chris Mueller (Not Due to Injury) and André Franco (Lower Body); and defender Sam Rogers (Lower Body) were unavailable for selection on Saturday.
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Box Score:
Chicago Fire FC 1:0 Atlanta United FC
Goals:
CHI - Haile-Selassie (1) (Bamba 2, Zinckernagel 1) (WATCH) 13’
Discipline:
ATL - Jacob (Caution) 5’
CHI - Zinckernagel (Caution) 8’
CHI - Barroso (Caution) 47’
ATL - Berrocal (Caution) 78’
Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Barroso (Dean, 68’), D Mbokazi, D Elliott (capt.), D Gutman; M Zinckernagel (Shokalook, 89’), M Salétros, M D’Avilla (Pineda, 67’), M Bamba (Dithejane, 89’), F Lod, F Haile-Selassie
Subs not used: GK Cohen, D Radojević, D Waterman, M Oregel Jr., M Poreba
Head Coach: Gregg Berhalter
Atlanta United FC: GK Hoyos, D Baez (Amador, 78’), D Mihaj, D Gregerson, D Jacob, M Lobjanidze (Brennan, 78’), M Muyumba, M Sanchez (Alzate, 66’), M Galarza Fonda (Fortune, 88’), M Almirón (capt.), F Latte Lath (Tohashi, 78’)
Subs not used: GK Hibbert, D Hernandez, D Berrocal, D Edwards
Head Coach: Jorge Theiler
Stats Summary: CHI / ATL
Shots: 18 / 20
Shots on Goal: 3 / 6
Saves: 5 / 2
Passing Accuracy: 83.4% / 88.2%
Corners: 6 / 11
Fouls: 13 / 5
Offsides: 2 / 2
Possession: 46% / 54%
Venue: Soldier Field (Chicago)
Attendance: 17,764
Referee: Drew Fischer
Assistant Referees: Ryan Graves, Gerard-Kader Lebuis
Fourth Official: Matt Thompson
VAR: Danielle Chesky
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert