Preview: Chicago Fire vs Los Angeles FC - prediction, team news, lineups

Following a disappointing Leagues Cup campaign, Los Angeles FC return to action in MLS as they visit Soldier Field to go head to head with Chicago Fire on Saturday night.

With their most recent two meetings coming in friendly fixtures, this will be the first league encounter between the two teams since May 2019, when they played out a goalless draw at the BMO Stadium.

Match preview

Chicago Fire moved into the playoff qualifying places a fortnight ago when they held their own to see out a 1-0 victory over New York Red Bulls at Soldier Field.

Hugo Cuypers made no mistakes from 12 yards out as he calmly converted his 44th-minute penalty to record his 14th league goal of the campaign and leave the Red Bulls empty-handed.

Prior to that, Chicago Fire snapped their run of four back-to-back games without a win across all competitions on July 20, when they edged out CF Montreal 2-0 at the Saputo Stadium thanks to goals from Cuypers and Jack Elliot.

Gregg Berhalter’s men will now look to pick up three league wins on the bounce for the first time since March, when they saw off FC Dallas, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps all on their travels.

Off the back of a last-placed finish in the Eastern Conference standings last season, Chicago Fire are in contention to return to the playoffs this year as they sit ninth in the table with 35 points from 24 games, two points above 10th-placed New York Red Bulls just outside the qualifying places.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles FC picked up three huge points in their quest to reach the Leagues Cup knockout stages as they secured a 2-1 victory over Mexican powerhouse Tigres on Tuesday night.

Nineteen-year-old forward David Martinez Morales turned in an eye-catching individual display as he netted either side of Ivan Lopez’s 46th-minute equaliser to hand the hosts all three points.

Los Angeles FC had kicked off the continental tournament with a somewhat disappointing penalty-shootout defeat against Mazatlan on July 30, three days before beating 10-man Pachuca on penalties in the second group outing.

Steven Cherundolo’s men now return to action in MLS, where they saw their four-game unbeaten run (3W, 1D) come to an end on July 26, when they fell to a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Portland Timbers courtesy of a first-half strike from Cristhian Paredes.

Los Angeles have lost just six of their 22 MLS matches so far while picking up 10 wins and six draws to collect 36 points and sit sixth in the Western Conference table, but they could move into fourth with a win this weekend.

However, it is worth noting that the Black and Gold have managed just one victory in their last 11 away matches across all competitions while losing five and claiming five draws since March 30.

Chicago Fire Major League Soccer form:

Chicago Fire form (all competitions):

Los Angeles FC Major League Soccer form:

Los Angeles FC form (all competitions):

Team News

Chicago Fire will take to the pitch without the services of Polish forward David Poreba, who continues his long road to full fitness after suffering a severe injury in January.

American defender Samuel Rogers was a notable absentee in the game against New York Red Bulls last time out through injury and the 26-year-old is also a doubt for this weekend’s hosts.

Los Angeles FC, meanwhile, remain without the defensive duo of Maxime Chanot and Lorenzo Dellavalle, who continue their lengthy spells on the sidelines through head and knee injuries respectively.

They are joined on the Black and Gold’s injury table by experienced defender Aaron Long, who is set to sit out his seventh straight game since picking up a leg problem against FC Dallas on July 13.

Teenage prodigy Morales was a standout performer for Los Angeles in the Leagues Cup, where he netted three goals in three games, and the 19-year-old could team up with Denis Bouanga, who has racked up 18 goal involvements in the league already (13G, 5A).

Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:

Brady; Barroso, Elliott, Teran, Gutman; D'Avilla, Gutierrez, Oregel; Gutierrez, Cuypers, Bamba

Los Angeles FC possible starting lineup:

Lloris; Hollingshead, Nielsen, Burgess, Smolyakov; Tillman, Jesus, Delgado; Dilrosun, Ordaz, Bouanga

We say: Chicago Fire 1-2 Los Angeles FC

After a stuttering start to the 2025 Leagues Cup campaign, Los Angeles quickly turned things around and will return to action in MLS in high spirits.

Two wins from their most recent two outings should give Chicago Fire the needed boost ahead of Sunday’s sterner challenge, but we predict that Cherundolo’s men will show their upper hand and come away with all three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.