Chicago Fire FC forward Tom Barlow was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 18 following his hat trick in the Fire’s 7-1 victory against D.C. United on Saturday night at Audi Field.
Barlow began his historic evening with a strike in the 30th minute, getting on the end of a lofted ball by defender Andrew Gutman before slotting the ball off the far post for a 3-0 lead he added to just 14 minutes later. The 44th minute goal gave the Fire a 4-0 lead that they pushed to 5-1 before Barlow completed his scoring with a 65th minute goal off a rebound.
The St. Louis native recorded his first multi-goal performance since Sept. 27, 2020, when he recorded a brace with the New York Red Bulls. Barlow’s hat trick was the first for a Fire player since Oct. 15, 2017, when striker Nemanja Nikolić scored all three Fire goals in a 3-2 victory against the Philadelphia Union.
The honor is the first for Barlow in his seven-year MLS career. This is also the first for a Fire player since fellow forward Hugo Cuypers was named the Player of the Matchday for Matchday 24 in 2024 following a brace against the Union in a comeback 4-3 victory on July 3, 2024.
The Fire return to Soldier Field on Saturday, June 14, when they host Nashville SC as part of a doubleheader co-hosted with Chicago Stars FC. Kickoff for the second leg of the doubleheader is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT. The match will be available to stream globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and will be transmitted locally on WLS 890 AM (English) and Que Buena Fire via the Uforia App (Spanish)
