With an unbeaten Leagues Cup 2025 run in its rear-view mirror, LAFC returns its focus to the MLS regular season and heads to Chicago for a Saturday night matchup with the Fire at SeatGeek Stadium (MLS Season Pass on Apple TV; 980 AM La Mera Mera, 710 AM ESPN, ESPN App).
The Black & Gold currently sits in sixth place in the Western Conference (10W-6L-6D, 38 pts.) with at least two games in hand on the top five teams. LAFC has scored 39 goals and allowed 28 in MLS play for a plus-11 goal differential (eighth-best in MLS). Matchups like this one in Chicago are critical to the Black & Gold’s pursuit of a top four finish in the West, which would provide home-field advantage in a potential Round One Best-of-3 Series when the MLS Cup Playoffs begin in late October.
The Fire, meanwhile, are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference (10W-9L-5D, 35 pts.) with 45 goals scored and 40 conceded (plus-5 goal differential).
Saturday’s road match arrives at the end of an eventful and historic week in Los Angeles as LAFC announced its acquisition of football icon Son Heung-Min from English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. At his introductory press conference on Wednesday, when Son was asked when he might be ready to play for his new club he replied: “My fitness is great as I just came through a preseason [with Tottenham]. I came here to play soccer and I’m ready to play, but there is some preparation work to be done, and I’ll work with the coaching staff and others to get on the pitch as soon as possible.”
LAFC wrapped up Phase One of Leagues Cup 2025 by sending a heavily rotated starting eleven onto the pitch Tuesday night against the star-studded eleven of Mexican champions Tigres UANL. The Black & Gold emerged victorious, 2-1, in a hard-fought affair at BMO Stadium with Davíd Martinez scoring both goals for LAFC and goalkeeper Thomas Hasal, making his third-ever appearance for the club, contributing four saves.
Despite earning at least a point in all three of its Phase One matches, LAFC was eliminated from moving on to the Leagues Cup’s Knockout Phase. Tigres was among the four Liga MX teams to advance by virtue of its two wins and six total points.
LAFC has suffered just two defeats in its last 15 league games (7W-2L-6D), outscoring opponents 31 to 18 in that span.
The Fire are unbeaten in their last three MLS matches. Their last outing was a 1-0 win over New York Red Bulls in Chicago two weeks ago (July 26) that saw leading scorer Hugo Cuypers (14 goals) tally the matchwinner on a first-half penalty kick.
It was Cuypers’ team-best fifth game-winning goal this season, the third-most in a single season for the Fire. If the Belgian striker tallies two more matchwinners in 2025, he would tie the single-season franchise record owned by LAFC assistant coach Ante Razov, who set it in 1999 on his way to becoming the Fire’s all-time leading scorer and the eighth-leading scorer in MLS history.
LAFC and the Fire have met twice in non-friendlies. LAFC fell to Chicago 3-1 on the road in the 2018 regular season and played them to a scoreless draw in LA in 2019.
Earlier this year, LAFC defeated the Fire 1-0 in a preseason friendly at the 2025 Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio, CA. Denis Bouanga converted a second-half penalty to provide the game’s only goal.
Cuypers and Philip Zinckernagel stay dangerous. The Fire’s attacking duo has combined for an eye-popping 36 goal contributions so far in 2025, with Cuypers adding two assists to his 14 goals and Zinckernagel (a 2025 MLS All-Star) hitting for 10 goals and 10 assists.
They will face a stout LAFC defense that has held strong despite recent injuries and roster churn along its back line. Only four teams in MLS have conceded fewer goals than LAFC’s 28 this season. (Philadelphia has allowed 24 goals; and Austin, Vancouver, and Nashville have conceded 26 each.)
Wingers Denis Bouanga and David Martínez wreak havoc along the touchlines. Three-time All-Star Bouanga once again finds himself in the MLS Golden Boot race (13 goals, T-6th), while teen sensation Martínez tallied three times in his three Leagues Cup starts. The injury to Ebobisse leaves an already-thin front line even slimmer, which means that Martínez can expect more minutes, and opposing defenders can expect more problems from the in-form Venezuelan.
