Chicago Fire FC forward Hugo Cuypers was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 3 following his performance in Saturday’s 3-1 win against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The forward scored one goal and registered one assist in the Fire’s comeback victory.
Cuypers earned his second consecutive weekly league honor after scoring his third goal of the campaign to close out a comeback win against FC Dallas. The forward earned a penalty after being fouled in the box in the 89th minute, then sent the goalkeeper diving the opposite way with his cool finish in the ensuing penalty kick.
The Belgian was also involved in the first two goals for Chicago. Cuypers recorded an assist after a series of touches between Leonardo Barroso and Sergio Oregel, Jr. found him open on the right wing. The forward then curled a perfect pass across the face of goal that found Andrew Gutman in full stride for his first goal of the season, and the opener for Chicago.
In the second goal of the evening, Cuypers turned his back to goal to lay up a ball for Brian Gutiérrez that the midfielder shot on goal. The effort was spilled by Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes into the path of Barroso, who proceeded to one-time the effort for the first goal of his MLS and professional career.
The weekly honor is the second in a row for Cuypers after appearing on the MLS Team of the Matchday bench last week for his two-goal performance in the Fire’s home opener against D.C. United. This was also his third MLS Team of the Matchday appearance overall after receiving the honor on Matchday 24, in which he tallied his first brace with Chicago in a 4-3 comeback win over the Philadelphia Union on July 3, 2024. That performance also made him MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra, the only such honor for a Fire player in 2024.
Chicago moves on to the second leg of a three-game road trip at Toronto FC on Saturday, March 15, at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada. Kickoff in Toronto is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. It will be transmitted locally on www.wlsam.com (English) and Que Buena 105.1 via the Uforia app (Spanish).
