Chicago Fire FC Secures Home Opener Victory with 3-0 Win Over CF Montréal

CHICAGO – The Chicago Fire FC began their 2026 MLS season with a dominant 3-0 victory over CF Montréal in their home opener on Saturday, February 28th, at Soldier Field. The win marked the Fire’s first of the season, following a previous road loss, and extended their unbeaten streak against Canadian opponents to six matches dating back to 2024. A crowd of 20,872 witnessed the decisive performance.

First-Half Lead and Second-Half Surge

Jonathan Bamba opened the scoring for Chicago in the 27th minute, finishing a play from the center of the box. The Fire maintained their 1-0 lead into halftime. Despite playing with a man down for the final 34 minutes after Jonathan Dean received a red card in the 56th minute, Chicago continued to control the match.

Stoppage Time Goals Seal the Victory

The Fire secured the victory with two goals in stoppage time. Hugo Cuypers converted a penalty in the 90th minute, extending the lead to 2-0. Shortly after, in the 90th + 10 minute, Robin Lod added a third goal with a close-range finish.

Dominant Performance in Statistics

Chicago showcased a commanding performance statistically, finishing with 18 shots to Montréal’s 4, and 11 on-target shots compared to Montréal’s 2. The Fire also generated 4.0 expected goals, while Montréal managed only 0.1. Chicago possessed the ball for 43.6% of the match.

Goalkeeping and Team Lineups

Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady made two saves to secure the shutout. Montréal’s Thomas Gillier made seven saves in the losing effort.

Chicago Fire FC Starting XI: Brady, Mbokazi, Elliott, Dean, Barroso, Pineda, Dje Tah, Zinckernagel, Lod, Saletros, Bamba, Cuypers.

CF Montréal Starting XI: Waterman, Haile-Selassie, Gillier, Synchuk, Thórhallsson.

Looking Ahead

CF Montréal will face New York on March 8th. The Chicago Fire will continue their season against Columbus on Saturday.