Charlotte vs Chicago Fire — match summary
United States · Major League Soccer · kick-off 27 Sept 2026 06:30
Full time · score 0-1
pPS pre-match readiness (0-100): Charlotte 47 · Chicago Fire 37
mPS in-play performance (0-100): Charlotte 31 · Chicago Fire 55
Shots on target 2-8 · corners 4-6 · possession 41-59
NextGOAL tip: Charlotte -0.25 · 1 stars
Charlotte and Chicago Fire meet so often that they have become a pairing that knows each other well. In the last two meetings it was Chicago Fire who edged out wins in both games, but this time Charlotte are back playing at home at a moment when they are floating up the table, while Chicago Fire are sliding down in a clearly different way. Charlotte are unbeaten in 5 straight matches, taking 3 wins from that stretch, and they just closed it out with a 2-1 win at home. Their attack scores steadily, but their defence still has spells where they let opponents pull level. Chicago Fire have it much heavier, having not won at all in their last 5 matches and having lost 2 in a row, especially the latest match where they lost 0-3, a game in which the defence clearly fell apart. The expected pattern of play should be Charlotte with slightly more of the ball based on the expected lineups, with Ashley Roy Westwood and Brandt Bronico controlling the rhythm in midfield, and Allan Saint-Maximin and Pep Biel Mas Jaume working the flanks to supply Archie Goodwin, who should play as the lone centre-forward. Meanwhile Chicago Fire, based on the expected lineups, have Robert Lewandowski as the target for long balls. The game should be open and end-to-end with plenty of goals. The first thing to watch after kick-off is how much Charlotte can pressure their opponents in the first half.