2026 US Open Cup Round 3: 10-man Chicago Fire survive late push, win rematch with Detroit City FC

It was a repeat matchup for Detroit City FC and the Chicago Fire in the US Open Cup Round of 32, having met last year in Bridgeview, Illinois. Even though the match produced the same winner, the change in venue to Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, Mich., provided the backdrop for a much closer and feistier contest as the Fire advanced with a 2-1 win on the strength of a brace from Jason Shokalook.

“We knew it was going to be difficult – the surface, the lighting, the crowd,” said Fire coach Gregg Berhalter. “When we saw the red in the corner and we scored our own goals and they were cheering and all the other crowd was quiet, that’s what this is all about. That’s what the US Open Cup is about.”

Detroit City provided the first chance of the contest in the 5^th minute as a pass from Maxi Rodriguez found poacher Darren Smith on the run behind the defense. His shot from the right side went wide of the left post past a diving Chris Brady.

The Fire set the tone in the match with some physicality. Viktor Radojevic ran into Jeciel Cedeño along the touch line after the DCFC playmaker had pushed the ball away in the 7^th minute, shortly followed by a foul by Fire defender Jonathan Dean on Ates Diouf. In the 13^th minute, Chicago midfielder Mauricio Pineda fouled Haruki Yamazaki, then on the restart, fouled him again, earning himself the first yellow card of the match.

Detroit’s best chance of the first half came in the 26^th minute, and it came from the foot of Smith once again. A long pass from Diouf found Smith on the right side near the top of the box, where he then looked to get around Fire defender and captain Jack Elliott. He then fired a similar ball toward the left side that hit the post and bounced back out.

Those chances came back to haunt Le Rouge. In the 32^nd minute, Detroit captain Devon Amoo-Mensah fouled Puso Dithejane just outside the box on the left side near the end line, leading to a Fire free kick. Philip Zinckermagel whipped an inswinger that was delightfully flicked into the net by Jason Shokalook at the near post while getting held by DCFC defender Tommy Silva for a 1-0 lead.

It was Shokalook’s first goal for the first team side and his second overall for his USOC career (his first coming in 2024 against Forward Madison for Chicago Fire FC 2).

It did not take Shokalook long to double his tally, and by extension, his club’s. In the 36^th minute, he received a pass from Dawid Poreba at the top of the box, took two touches around Detroit defender Callum Montgomery, and hit a shot low to the right post under goalkeeper Carlos Herrera to go ahead, 2-0.

Both said their connection from the second-team and carried over to this match.

“I’ve always had full confidence in him,” Poreba said. “I knew I just needed to get him the ball in that instance, and he did the rest and scored.”

We’ve played together for multiple years in MLS Next Pro, so now it’s great to do it with him at the first team level,” Shokalook said. “It was a great pass.”

Both teams got their chances in the second half as both goalkeepers got tested. In the 61^st minute, Diouf came streaking down the left from midfield, ran toward the near post and then hit a tight angle shot, forcing Brady to make a point blank save. Five minutes later in the 66^th, a give-and-go saw Fire halftime substitute Maren Halle-Selassie receive the pass back near the top of the box, chest it down, and then volley a shot that forced Herrera into a diving save.

Detroit City got a goal back in the 78^th minute, and it came from the foot of their USL Championship Golden Boot-leading striker Smith. Yamazaki received the ball from Herrera at midfield, ran the length of the right sideline past two Chicago players, then sent a cross to Smith in the box, where he calmly placed a shot past Brady near the left post to put Le Rouge within one.

🚂 right on cue

A train rolls by Keyworth Stadium here in Detroit just as Chicago goes down to 10! pic.twitter.com/0fzjTPyS4Q

— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) April 15, 2026

In the 80^th minute, things appeared to get worse for Chicago as they went down to 10 men. Dithejane committed a foul near midfield in front of the rowdy Keyworth supporters that earned him a straight red card. Almost as if on cue, a train then rolled by the stadium blaring their horn, riling up the crowd to a fever pitch.

This was followed up by multiple corner kick opportunities for Detroit City starting in the 82^nd minute, of which came to fruition. Detroit continued to push with the extra man for the remainder of the match, sending multiple shots wide of the net in stoppage time.

In the end, Chicago held on to earn their first win toward a potential fifth US Open Cup trophy that has eluded all Modern Era teams.