Chicago Fire FC
2024 season
ChairmanJoe Mansueto
Head coachFrank Klopas
StadiumSoldier Field
(capacity: 61,500)
MLSConference:
Overall:

The 2024 Chicago Fire FC season is the club's 29th year of existence, as well as their 27th in Major League Soccer.

Summary

Offseason

The Fire's offseason began after their 1-0 loss on October 21 to New York City FC, causing them to miss the postseason for a sixth consecutive year. On November 14, the team announced the return of Sporting Director Georg Heitz and Technical Director Sebastian Pelzer.[1] The move was controversial and met with criticism from Fire fans.[2] That same day, the Fire announced that 2023 MVP Brian Gutiérrez had been signed to a new homegrown U-22 initiative contract through 2028. A week later, the team announced the roster decisions for thirteen players—confirming six would be returning to the Fire for 2024, while six more would be leaving, with homegrown Javier Casas in negotiations.[3] Shortly after this on December 5, the Fire named interim head coach and club legend Frank Klopas the Fire's full-time head coach for the 2024 season. This would be Klopas' second permanent stint with the Fire, after his first stint in 2012 and 2013. The move, in a similar fashion to Heitz' re-signing, was met with criticism by fans.[4] Before the end of the year, the Fire would also acquire defender Andrew Gutman from Colorado Rapids in exchange for allocation money and defender Miguel Navarro and striker Tom Barlow from New York Red Bulls in exchange for allocation money.

Current squad

Players signed as of December 18, 2023[5]

No. Name Nationality Position Date of Birth (Age) Previous Club Player Notes
Goalkeepers
18 Spencer Richey United States G May 30, 1992 United States Seattle Sounders FC
25 Jeff Gal United States G April 6, 1993 Sweden Degerfors IF
34 Chris Brady United States G March 3, 2004 United States Chicago Fire Academy Homegrown
Bryan Dowd United States G May 8, 2002 United States Notre Dame
Defenders
2 Arnaud Souquet France D February 12, 1992 France Montpellier HSC International
4 Carlos Terán Colombia D September 24, 2000 Colombia Envigado F.C.
5 Rafael Czichos Germany D May 14, 1990 Germany 1. FC Köln Captain
International
15 Andrew Gutman United States D October 2, 1996 United States Colorado Rapids
16 Wyatt Omsberg United States D September 21, 1995 United States Minnesota United
22 Mauricio Pineda United States D October 17, 1997 United States North Carolina Tar Heels
24 Jonathan Dean United States D May 15, 1997 United States Birmingham Legion FC
36 Justin Reynolds United States D April 8, 2004 United States Chicago Fire FC II Homegrown
Allan Arigoni Switzerland D November 4, 1998 Switzerland FC Lugano International
Loaned In
Tobias Salquist Denmark D May 18, 1995 Denmark Silkeborg IF International
Midfielders
7 Maren Haile-Selassie Switzerland M March 13, 1999 Switzerland FC Lugano International
10 Xherdan Shaqiri Switzerland M October 10, 1991 France Olympique Lyonnais Designated Player
International
17 Brian Gutiérrez United States M June 17, 2003 United States Chicago Fire Academy Homegrown
U22 Initiative
21 Fabian Herbers Germany M August 17, 1993 United States Philadelphia Union
30 Gastón Giménez Paraguay M July 27, 1991 Argentina Vélez Sarsfield
31 Federico Navarro Argentina M March 9, 2000 Argentina Talleres de Cordoba International
U22 Initiative
35 Sergio Oregel United States M May 16, 2005 United States Chicago Fire Academy Homegrown
37 Javier Casas United States M May 14, 2003 United States Chicago Fire Academy Homegrown
Forwards
8 Chris Mueller United States F August 29, 1996 Scotland Hibernian F.C.
11 Kacper Przybyłko Poland F March 25, 1993 United States Philadelphia Union
19 Georgios Koutsias Greece F February 8, 2004 Greece PAOK FC International
U22 Initiative
20 Jairo Torres Mexico F July 5, 2000 Mexico Atlas F.C. International
Young DP
32 Missael Rodriguez United States F February 9, 2003 United States Chicago Fire Academy Homegrown
33 Victor Bezerra United States F February 5, 2000 United States Indiana Hoosiers Homegrown
Tom Barlow United States F July 8, 1995 United States New York Red Bulls

Player movement

Returning, options, and new contracts

Date Player Position Notes Ref
November 14, 2023United States Brian GutiérrezMSigned to a new Homegrown U22 contract until 2028[6]
November 22, 2023United States Jonathan DeanDOption for 2024 exercised[3]
November 22, 2023United States Jeffrey GalGOption for 2024 exercised[3]
November 22, 2023Germany Fabian HerbersMOption for 2024 exercised[3]
November 22, 2023United States Wyatt OmsbergDOption for 2024 exercised[3]
November 22, 2023United States Spencer RicheyGOption for 2024 exercised[3]
January 14, 2024United States Javier CasasMRe-signed to a contract for 2024 with options for 2025 and 2026 after his contract option expired in 2023[3][7]

In

Date Player Position Previous Club Notes Ref
November 22, 2023Switzerland Maren Haile-SelassieMSwitzerland FC LuganoFire exercised their purchase option, signing him reportedly through 2026[8][3][9]
December 12, 2023United States Andrew GutmanDUnited States Colorado RapidsAcquired from Colorado in exchange for Miguel Navarro and $450k in GAM spread out over 2024 and 2025, and immediately signed to a contract through 2026 with an option for 2027[10]
December 18, 2023United States Tom BarlowFUnited States New York Red BullsAcquired from New York in exchange for $250k in GAM spread out over 2024 and 2025 with another $150k if certain requirements are met[11]
January 14, 2023Denmark Tobias SalquistDDenmark Silkeborg IFSigned from Silkeborg on a contract through 2025 with an option for 2026[12]
January 15, 2023United States Bryan DowdGUnited States Notre DameSigned to a contract for 2024 with options through 2027 after being drafted 6th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft[13][14]

Loaned In

Date Player Position Loaning Club Notes Ref
January 15, 2023Switzerland Allan ArigoniDSwitzerland FC LuganoLoaned in for 2024 with an option to buy[15]

Out

Date Player Position Destination Club Notes Ref
October 23, 2023Sierra Leone Kei KamaraFConfirmed he would not be returning to the Fire as his contract expires[16][3]
November 9, 2023United States Alex MonisMUnited States New England Revolution IIConfirmed that he would not be returning to the Fire[17][3]
November 22, 2023Mexico Alonso AcevesDMexico PachucaLoan deal expired[18][3]
November 22, 2023United States Kendall BurksDOption for 2024 declined[3]
November 22, 2023Ivory Coast Ousmane DoumbiaMSwitzerland FC LuganoLoan deal expired[19][3]
November 22, 2023United States Allan RodriguezMOption for 2024 declined[3]
December 12, 2023Venezuela Miguel NavarroDUnited States Colorado RapidsTraded to Colorado alongside $450k in GAM in exchange for Andrew Gutman[10]


Unsigned draft picks and trialists

Player Position Previous Club Notes Ref
R2, P4Canada Oluwaseun OyegunleDFSyracuseDid not join the team in preseason[13][20]
R2, P6United States Jason ShokalookFWAkron[13][13][20]
R3, P6England Laurence WoottonMFOhio State[13][20]
R3, P14United States Shane de FloresMFStanfordDid not join the team in preseason[13][20]

Alongside those listed above, Fire II defender Lamonth Rochester and midfielder Omari Glasgow also travelled with the squad to Bradenton during preseason. [20]

Technical staff

Position Staff
Sporting Director Switzerland Georg Heitz
Technical Director Germany Sebastian Pelzer
Head Coach United States Frank Klopas
Assistant Coach United States C. J. Brown
Assistant Coach Greece Nikos Kostenoglou
Assistant Coach Greece Theodoros Antonopoulos
Goalkeeping Coach United States Zach Thornton

Last updated: December 31, 2023
Source: Chicago Fire Technical Staff

Competitions

Major League Soccer

Eastern Conference table

MLS Eastern Conference table (2024)
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Atlanta United FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for Round One and the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round One
2 Chicago Fire FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for Round One
3 FC Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Charlotte FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Columbus Crew 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 D.C. United 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Inter Miami CF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 CF Montréal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for the Wild card round
9 Nashville SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 New England Revolution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 New York City FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 New York Red Bulls 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13 Orlando City SC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 Philadelphia Union 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
15 Toronto FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: in 2024. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)

Overall table

Overall MLS standings table
Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Atlanta United FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 Austin FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Chicago Fire FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 FC Cincinnati 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Charlotte FC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: in 2024. Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldPtsWLTGFGAGDWLTGFGAGDWLTGFGAGD
0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 0  0

Last updated: October 21
Source: MLSsoccer.com standings
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Match results

Preseason
January 23 Friendly Loudoun United v Chicago Fire FC Bradenton, Florida
Stadium: IMG Academy
January 27 Friendly New York Red Bulls v Chicago Fire FC Bradenton, Florida
Stadium: IMG Academy
February 7 CVI Austin FC v Chicago Fire FC Indio, California
15:00 EST Stadium: Empire Polo Club
February 11 CVI Los Angeles FC v Chicago Fire FC Indio, California
14:30 EST Stadium: Empire Polo Club
February 14 CVI Minnesota United v Chicago Fire FC Indio, California
16:00 EST Stadium: Empire Polo Club
February 17 CVI Portland Timbers v Chicago Fire FC Indio, California
14:00 EST Stadium: Empire Polo Club
Regular season
February 24 1 Philadelphia Union v Chicago Fire FC Chester, Pennsylvania
6:30 PM Stadium: Subaru Park
March 2 2 Chicago Fire FC v FC Cincinnati Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
March 9 3 Columbus Crew v Chicago Fire FC Columbus, Ohio
6:30 PM Stadium: Lower.com Field
March 16 4 Chicago Fire FC v CF Montréal Chicago, Illinois
1:00 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
March 23 5 New England Revolution v Chicago Fire FC Foxborough, Massachusetts
1:00 PM Stadium: Gillette Stadium
March 31 6 Atlanta United FC v Chicago Fire FC Atlanta, Georgia
2:30 PM Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
April 6 7 Chicago Fire FC v Houston Dynamo Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
April 13 8 New York Red Bulls v Chicago Fire FC Harrison, New Jersey
6:30 PM Stadium: Red Bull Arena
April 20 9 Chicago Fire FC v Real Salt Lake Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
April 27 10 Chicago Fire FC v Atlanta United FC Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
May 4 11 Chicago Fire FC v New England Revolution Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
May 11 12 St. Louis City SC v Chicago Fire FC St. Louis, Missouri
7:30 PM Stadium: CityPark
May 15 13 Chicago Fire FC v Charlotte FC Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
May 18 14 Chicago Fire FC v Columbus Crew Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
May 25 15 D.C. United v Chicago Fire FC Washington, D.C.
6:30 PM Stadium: Audi Field
May 29 16 Chicago Fire FC v Orlando City SC Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
June 1 17 Chicago Fire FC v LA Galaxy Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
June 15 18 Toronto FC v Chicago Fire FC Toronto, Ontario
6:30 PM Stadium: BMO Field
June 22 19 Orlando City SC v Chicago Fire FC Orlando, Florida
6:30 PM Stadium: Exploria Stadium
June 29 20 Seattle Sounders FC v Chicago Fire FC Seattle, Washington
9:30 PM Stadium: Lumen Field
July 3 21 Chicago Fire FC v Philadelphia Union Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
July 7 22 San Jose Earthquakes v Chicago Fire FC San Jose, California
7:30 PM Stadium: PayPal Park
July 13 23 Chicago Fire FC v New York City FC Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
July 17 24 FC Cincinnati v Chicago Fire FC Cincinnati, Ohio
6:30 PM Stadium: TQL Stadium
July 20 25 Inter Miami CF v Chicago Fire FC Fort Lauderdale, Florida
6:30 PM Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium
August 24 26 New York City FC v Chicago Fire FC Queens, New York
6:30 PM Stadium: Citi Field
August 31 27 Chicago Fire FC v Inter Miami CF Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
September 7 28 Chicago Fire FC v D.C. United Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
September 14 29 Chicago Fire FC v New York Red Bulls Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
September 18 30 Nashville SC v Chicago Fire FC Nashville, Tennessee
7:30 PM Stadium: Geodis Park
September 21 31 CF Montréal v Chicago Fire FC Montreal, Quebec
6:30 PM Stadium: Saputo Stadium
September 28 32 Chicago Fire FC v Toronto FC Chicago, Illinois
7:30 PM Stadium: Soldier Field
October 2 33 Charlotte FC v Chicago Fire FC Charlotte, North Carolina
6:30 PM Stadium: Bank of America Stadium
October 19 34 Chicago Fire FC v Nashville SC Chicago, Illinois
5:00 PM Stadium: Soldier Field

Leagues Cup

GS v
GS v

Statistics

Note: italics indicates a player who left during the season

Games played

No. Pos. Nat. Name MLS Leagues Cup Open Cup Total
Starts Apps Minutes Bench Starts Apps Minutes Bench Starts Apps Minutes Bench Starts Apps Minutes Bench
2 DF  FRA Arnaud Souquet
4 DF  COL Carlos Terán
5 DF  GER Rafael Czichos
7 MF   SUI Maren Haile-Selassie
8 FW  USA Chris Mueller
10 MF   SWI Xherdan Shaqiri
11 FW  POL Kacper Przybyłko
15 DF  USA Andrew Gutman
16 DF  USA Wyatt Omsberg
17 MF  USA Brian Gutiérrez
18 GK  USA Spencer Richey
19 FW  GRE Georgios Koutsias
20 FW  MEX Jairo Torres
21 MF  GER Fabian Herbers
22 DF  USA Mauricio Pineda
24 DF  USA Jonathan Dean
25 GK  USA Jeff Gal
30 MF  PAR Gastón Giménez
31 MF  ARG Federico Navarro
32 MF  USA Missael Rodriguez
33 FW  USA Victor Bezerra
34 GK  USA Chris Brady
35 MF  USA Sergio Oregel
36 DF  USA Justin Reynolds
37 MF  USA Javier Casas
DF   SUI Allan Arigoni
FW  USA Tom Barlow
GK  USA Bryan Dowd
DF  DEN Tobias Salquist

Goalkeeping

No. Nat. Name MLS Leagues Cup Open Cup Total
Clean Sheets Saves GA Clean Sheets Saves GA Clean Sheets Saves GA Clean Sheets Saves GA
18  USA Spencer Richey
25  USA Jeff Gal
34  USA Chris Brady
 USA Bryan Dowd

Goals

Rk. Player MLS League's Cup Open Cup Total

Assists

Rk. Player MLS League's Cup Open Cup Total
A A A A

Disciplinary record

Rk. Player MLS League's Cup Open Cup Total
Yellow card Second yellow card Red card Yellow card Second yellow card Red card Yellow card Second yellow card Red card Yellow card Second yellow card Red card

Awards

Man of the Match awards

Game # Player Stats Reference
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34


Second team statistics

Note: Stats are for regular and post season combined

Games played

No. Pos. Nat. Name MLS Next Pro
Starts Apps Minutes


Notes

    References

    1. "Chicago Fire FC Sporting Director Georg Heitz Signs Contract Extension". November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
    2. "Georg Heitz returns as Fire Sporting Director". November 14, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Chicago Fire FC Announces 2023 Roster Decisions". November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
    4. "Chicago Fire FC Names Frank Klopas Head Coach". December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
    5. "Chicago Fire Roster Page".
    6. "Chicago Fire FC Signs Midfielder Brian Gutiérrez to Homegrown U-22 Initiative Contract". November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
    7. "Chicago Fire FC Signs Homegrown Midfielder Javier Casas Jr. to New Contract". January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
    8. "Chicago Fire FC Acquire Winger Maren Haile-Selassie on Loan from FC Lugano". December 27, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
    9. "Instagram Post". November 22, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
    10. 1 2 "Chicago Fire FC Acquires Defender Andrew Gutman from Colorado Rapids". December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
    11. "Chicago Fire FC Acquires Forward Tom Barlow from New York Red Bulls in Exchange for General Allocation Money". December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
    12. "Chicago Fire FC Acquires Defender Tobias Salquist". January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
    13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "MLS SuperDraft 2024 Tracker". December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
    14. "Chicago Fire FC Signs MLS SuperDraft Pick Bryan Dowd to First Team Contract". January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
    15. "Chicago Fire FC Acquires Defender Allan Arigoni on Loan from FC Lugano". January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
    16. "Kei Kamara made an impact both on and off the field in Chicago". October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
    17. "Alex Monis Goodbye Post". November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
    18. "Chicago Fire FC Acquires Mexican Defender Alonso Aceves on Loan from C.F. Pachuca". Retrieved October 22, 2023.
    19. "Chicago Fire FC Acquire Midfielder Ousmane Doumbia as Designated Player". June 28, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
    20. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chicago Fire FC Announces 2024 Preseason Training Camp Roster". January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
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