FC Cincinnati hit the road this weekend and visit the Central Time Zone for the first time this season, jetting off to the shores of Lake Michigan to take on Chicago Fire FC. The trip to Soldier Field
Kickoff is set for 8:30p.m. ET on Apple TV, with temperatures set to be a chilly 50 degrees when things get underway. Ahead of this match, let’s look at a few key stories to keep an eye on as the Orange and Blue look to earn all three points in Chicago!
You again?
It’s been 14 days since these two teams last faced off against each other, making for a quick reunion and finish to the season series.
Two weeks ago, when these two sides played last, FC Cincinnati came from behind late to earn a draw at TQL Stadium. After going down 3-1 early in the second half, Evander earned a penalty kick finish, and an own goal brought the score level and split the points between the sides.
Since then, FC Cincinnati have played two MLS matches, earning another draw and a win last week against NYCFC and Red Bull New York, respectively. The Fire have only played one match since, avoiding the midweek matchup last week in favor of a midweek U.S. Open Cup tilt this week, just days before their match with FCC.
Chicago Fire FC handily defeated Sporting Kansas City over the weekend, putting a 5-0 thrashing on SKC at home. Then, with a rotated squad, Chicago fell at home to fellow midwest rivals St. Louis CITY SC in the U.S. Open Cup, being eliminated from the tournament.
“We've had this happen in years past as well, where you, because of the schedule, see teams quickly,” FCC Head Coach Pat Noonan said Thursday at his prematch press conference.
“That's the reality,” Noonan continued. “What it does is it makes you more familiar with them for the second match – but the same goes for them. So Chicago is going to have a pretty good idea of us and what they can expect. It's not new, and it can be a positive or a negative, depending on how you learn from the first game and how you make adjustments.”
This is also the third team in three weeks that FCC have seen for a second time this season, closing all three regular-season series against their opponents before a third of the season has gone by. First, FC Cincinnati closed out their series with Toronto FC, then Red Bull New York and now Chicago Fire FC.
It won’t be until August 15th that FCC faces a repeat opponent again, and between now and then FCC will face Orlando City SC twice.
The century mark
FC Cincinnati midfielder Pavel Bucha is set to make his 100th appearance for the Orange and Blue this weekend, should he appear in the match against Chicago Fire FC – becoming the 13th player in club history (across all eras) to reach the milestone, and the 11th since the club joined MLS to do so as well.
Since arriving in 2024 on a permanent transfer from Czech side FC Viktoria Plzen, Bucha has been one of the most reliable players in MLS. He has led FC Cincinnati in appearances and minutes played each of the last two seasons and has missed a combined three matches in league play since joining the club.
“It's been amazing. I think he's one of the leaders of the team. He leads by example, because everything that he does he does it as a professional player in all aspects. Not only on the field, but outside the field, as a family man,” Assistant Coach Ricky Paez said after a training session this week. Paez typically works with the midfielders and thus has had a front-row seat to the impact and evolution Bucha has had on the team.
“We are very happy about the way he has evolved with us in the last three seasons,” Paez continued. “He's one of the guys with more intensity in the team, and he's a true box to box player that can defend and can attack and create chances for us. So it's been amazing having him in our group, and we're fortunate to have him and to keep experiencing what he can bring to our team.”
Bucha, 28, is also seventh all-time in minutes played for the club and has reached that mark in just 104 possible games, a staggering feat of consistency and versatility that has proved invaluable to FC Cincinnati’s success over the past three years.
“I think I said it at one point last year that he was our most important player, or the season before. It seems like he kind of always is in that category,” FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright said this week of Bucha. “He's just one of those super unique guys that if you've been around the game long enough, there's always one or two in a team that you just go, ‘man, without him, Where would we be?’
“He does it with such humility, selflessness. He is a winner. He's a true winner and a lovely guy, and has an awesome family. He's the type of dude that we want to be in Cincinnati playing for FC Cincinnati. He's really emblematic of everything that our owners and everybody cares about. So, he's a super, super special kid and happy that he's wearing our jersey.”
Expected firepower
Saturday night's matchup at Soldier Field could be full of action, as Chicago Fire FC and FC Cincinnati enter ranked third and fourth, respectively, in Expected Goals (xG).
The Orange and Blue have been better at putting away their chances, scoring 19 goals on 19.72xG this season, ranking fifth in total goals scored in MLS. The Fire have generated more offensive opportunities (per the advanced analytics) but have not converted as often, scoring 17 times on 20.42xG in nine matches.
“If you just looked at the stat, you'd say, ‘Okay, this is a great attacking team,’ and they are. They are a very good attacking team,” FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan said of Chicago’s offensive prowess. “But put the expected goals conversation aside, what are the challenges that they're going to present to us? We just saw them, and they scored three goals against us. So we know they have an experienced team and experienced tactic attacking group.”
“So our conversation wasn't around expected goals. It was how do we limit the strengths of those players, how they link up together, how they attack quickly in transition, how they make plays in isolation? There's so many details that go into it that the expected goal conversation, those numbers could be higher,” Noonan continued.
Almost a quarter of Chicago’s cumulative expected goals this season come from last weekend's matchup with Sporting Kansas City, where The Fire scored five times on 4.8xG to raise their cumulative ranking in 2026. The club's offensive ability goes beyond the stats, as Noonan highlighted, and is more about how Chicago creates advantages.
“They create a lot of moments, and I think we do as well. It's maybe not looking so much at the expected goal and looking at how they gain advantages and put this really strong attacking group in positions to make plays,” Noonan explained. “That's what our focus is. So, hopefully our attack continues and hopefully our defending improves to limit their strengths.”
FC Cincinnati and Chicago get things underway at 8:30p.m. ET Saturday night at Soldier Field. For more information on the match, click here.
