The Chicago Fire impressed the soccer world with an emphatic wild card win over Orlando City Wednesday, but things get a lot tougher as they draw the Philadelphia Union.
The Union were the league’s top team in the 2025 season, and they’ll be aiming to continue their defensive dominance as they face the Fire, one of the league’s top-scoring teams during the campaign.
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming series.
What is the schedule for the series?
Unlike the other rounds of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the conference quarterfinal round is a best-of-three series, and it will get underway Sunday at 4:30 p.m. with Game 1 in Philadelphia.
Game 2 of the series will take place at Bridgeview’s Seat Geek Stadium on Saturday, November 1, with a kick time of 4:30 p.m.
Game 3, if necessary, would take place back in Philadelphia on Saturday, November 8.
After the conference quarterfinal round, the playoff format switches to winner-take-all games through the MLS Cup Final in December.
Where can I watch Sunday’s game?
The Sunday match will be available on FS1 and Fox Deportes, along with Apple TV-Plus.
Apple TV-Plus is currently set to air Games 2 and 3 of the series, though other TV channels could end up airing the contests.
How did the teams fare against one another?
Philadelphia won both of their games against Chicago this season, capturing a 1-0 win in Chicago in June and a 4-0 win in Philly in August.
Just how good were the Union this season?
The Union had the league’s best record, but they had an up-and-down performance down the stretch, which included a 6-0 win over D.C. United and a 7-0 loss at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Union got 16 goals out of Tai Baribo in 29 games this season, with Milan Iloski adding 12 more in just 23 matches.
The Union were extremely tight defensively, allowing just 35 goals in 34 matches, the fewest in the league. Their plus-22 goal differential was second-best in the league, trailing only Inter Miami.
What about the Fire?
The Fire had the second-best scoring attack in MLS this season, racking up 68 goals on the year. Hugo Cuypers had 19 goals during the regular season and notched a brace in Chicago’s 3-1 win over Orlando City in the wild card match at Seat Geek Stadium last week.
Philip Zinckernagel had 15 goals on the season, and he had 17 assists on the year, making him one of the league’s best in that category.
The Fire held Orlando, who had the league’s third-best offense during the regular season, to just six shot attempts, compared to 24 for Chicago as they romped to a win and secured a spot in the conference quarterfinals.
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