Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

Chicago Fire FC

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

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Jonathan Dean of the Chicago Fire dribbles the ball against Detroit City FC in the Third Round of the 2026 US Open Cup. Photo: Detroit City FC
Jonathan Dean of the Chicago Fire dribbles the ball against Detroit City FC in the Third Round of the 2026 US Open Cup. Photo: 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.”

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Detroit City provided the first chance of the contest in the 5th 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 7th minute, shortly followed by a foul by Fire defender Jonathan Dean on Ates Diouf. In the 13th minute, Chicago midfielder Mauricio Pineda fouled Haruki Yamazaki, then on the restart, fouled him again, earning himself the first yellow card of the match.

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Detroit’s best chance of the first half came in the 26th 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 32nd 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 36th 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.”

Jason Shokalook of the Chicago Fire celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against Detroit City FC in the Third Round of the 2026 US Open Cup. Photo: Chicago Fire FC
Jason Shokalook of the Chicago Fire celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal against Detroit City FC in the Third Round of the 2026 US Open Cup. Photo: Chicago Fire FC

Both teams got their chances in the second half as both goalkeepers got tested. In the 61st 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 66th, 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 78th 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.

In the 80th 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 82nd 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.

2025 US Open Cup Quarterfinals: Minnesota United needs OT to overtake 10-man Chicago Fire

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Kelvin Yeboah of Minnesota United fires a shot against Chicago Fire FC in the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Seth Steffenhagen - Northland Soccer Journal
Kelvin Yeboah of Minnesota United fires a shot against Chicago Fire FC in the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Seth Steffenhagen – Northland Soccer Journal

Minnesota United FC and the Chicago Fire FC opened up the Quarterfinals of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night in St. Paul, Minn. An early red card to Chicago followed by an immediate goal for the Fire on a penalty had the visitors on the front foot despite being down a man.

An early second half goal for the Loons changed the entire tone of the match. The Fire held out through 90 minutes, forcing extra-time, but it was not to be for the visitors. Kelvin Yeboah scored the go ahead goal for Minnesota five minutes into extra-time, before getting the dagger on a penalty kick in the dying seconds to push the Loons through the Fire and into the Semifinals for the second time in club history.

With fixture congestion being an issue at this point in the season, both teams went with a similar construction of their starting eleven and matchday eighteen. The Loons playing their third game in four days, put together a mixture of regular starters and players looking for more minutes. Chicago, while only playing their second match in the same span, used the same philosophy choosing their squad for the trip to the North Star State.

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The opening quarter hour of play was relatively mundane as both teams started off extremely slowly in a feeling out process. Minnesota dominated possession in the first 15 minutes and came close to getting a good chance, but Chicago was able to push the ball on the cross out of touch. Bongokuhle Hlongwane got the only shot off in what would be nearly the first 30 minutes of play.

The match turned on its head in the 25th minute, when Chicago’s Omar González was issued his first-ever straight red card and the first card of any kind in his Open Cup career. While trying to create some space between himself and Julian Gressel, Gonzalez struck the US international in the face while making a run across the penalty box. The call was made after a video review.

“It’s a little bit tricky when the opponent has a red card, because you kind of feel some kind of false security that the game’s going to be easy,” said Minnesota midfielder Robin Lod. “I think we could have been a little bit more patient with the ball, because we had the whole 45 minutes to chase it and score, but lucky to get another 30 minutes and we sealed the deal.”

Just two minutes after the red, Minnesota’s Wil Trapp fouled Philip Zinckernagel inside the box, handing the Fire an opportunity on a silver platter. Brian Gutierrez took that opportunity and used it, scoring a low shot into the bottom left corner while goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair went the other way.

After handing out two cards in two minutes, referee Ekaterina Koroleva continued to issue cards like candy, issuing a total of four in 12 minutes. MNUFC’s Carlos Harvey was handed one after fouling Tom Barlow from behind, while Chicago’s Jack Elliott was also given one, putting a stifle to a potential Tani Oluwaseyi breakout attack.

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Support TheCup.us and its coverage of the US Open Cup by purchasing a “We Want The Cup” shirt in your team’s colors. Visit THECUP.US SHOP

“The coach initially wanted me to play on the right-hand side as a ten, and that was the formation,” said Minnesota’s Kelvin Yeboah. “And that information was from Cam (Assistant Coach Cameron Knowles) was to score a goal, so I did what he asked me to do.”

Each side made some changes to start the second half. Chicago Fire with a one goal lead and down a man, brought on just one player. Eric Ramsey, on the other hand, brought on the troops with a triple sub at the half. That triple substitution paid off quickly for Ramsey’s Loons with Robin Lod scoring in the 47th minute on a play starting with a Tani Oluwaseyi ball to Anthony Markanich, who sent a low cross to Lod.

Drawn level at 1-1, the play began to resemble the opening 15 minutes, constant passes but with a slow-crawling attack. Minnesota dominated possession and did get a few good shots off that forced Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady to make a couple fantastic saves to send the match into extra time and one step closer to the Fire overcoming that early red card.

In extra time each team is provided a sixth sub, something Eric Ramsey took advantage of immediately. That sub paid off quickly as Joaquín Pereyra sent a pass into the box that Carlos Harvey headed over to Yeboah, who finished the play with one touch goal putting the hosts in the lead just minutes into extra time. Minnesota continuously tried to put the dagger in, but up until the dying moments just could not find the back of goal.

Sang Bin Jeong of Minnesota United avoids a tackle in a Quarterfinal match against the Chicago Fire FC in the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Seth Steffenhagen - Northland Soccer Journal
Sang Bin Jeong of Minnesota United avoids a tackle in a Quarterfinal match against the Chicago Fire FC in the 2025 US Open Cup. Photo: Seth Steffenhagen – Northland Soccer Journal

“I think he did great. And if there is a silver lining to there being an extra half an hour, it’s that he gets a chance to get another goal, a couple of really good moments on top of the moments that he had,” Minnesota United Eric Ramsey said about Kelvin Yeboah.

As the seconds ticked away, Kelvin Yeboah broke out on a solo run down the pitch and after a 50+ yard run was fouled inside the box by Leonardo Barroso, handing Minnesota a penalty. Yeboah scored on the penalty goal and immediately following the PK, Ekaterina Koroleva blew her whistle ending the match and sending Minnesota to the Semifinals.

With the victory, Minnesota United will head back to the US Open Cup Semifinals for the first time since the 2019 season. They will host Austin FC the week of Sept. 16-17.

 

2022 US Open Cup Round 3: Union Omaha equalize late, upset Chicago Fire in PKs

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Union Omaha Chicago Fire 2022 US Open Cup Soldier Field
Union Omaha celebrate after eliminating the Chicago Fire 5-4 in penalty kicks (after a 2-2 draw) in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup at Soldier Field. Photo: Union Omaha

It took over 120 minutes and penalty kicks, but USL League One’s Union Omaha made their journey to Soldier Field and defeated Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire 3-2 (5-4 penalty kicks) in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Dion Acoff, who entered the match in the 62nd minute, scored the game-winning penalty kick in the 6th round of kicks to send the Owls into the fourth round in what is their first appearance in this tournament.

Fire Defender Rafael Czichos, who was a late addition to the Fire’s starting 11, scored each of the Fire’s goals from the penalty spot. Union Omaha was able to score each of their goals from open-play, responding to each of the Fire’s goals in combination with scores from Noe Meza and Alex Touche, respectively.

After sharing the ball in the opening moments, the Fire dominated possession in the first half.

The first action of the match came in the form of a seventh minute caution against Chicago’s Sergio Oregel for a dangerous tackle on Emir Alihodzic. Making his debut in the Fire’s first team, the 16-year-old Oregel Jr. nearly played the full 90 minutes for the Fire, coming off in second half stoppage time.

The Fire’s defense was shaky early. Union Omaha nearly broke through after Jhon Jairo Espinoza turned the ball over deep in the Fire’s own half. Omaha’s Alex Bruce cut across the penalty area with the ball, but was unable to secure a shot on goal.

Chicago Fire Union Omaha 2022 US Open Cup
Players from Union Omaha (left) and the Chicago Fire battle for the ball in the Third Round of the 2022 US Open Cup. Photo: Chicago Fire FC

The Fire nearly responded with a goal of their own. After winning successive corners in the 20th minute, the ball bounced around the penalty area until it found Kendall Burks. Burks’ effort went off the post and the Fire attack was turned away.

Moments later, Durán broke through the Omaha defense and eventually found the Brian Gutierrez. Gutierrez ripped a shot on goal, which was deflected away by Rashid Nuhu.

The Fire nearly broke through on a 42nd minute corner kick. Chinoso Offor met the ball at its apex and found the target, only for Nuhu to turn it away.

The match was scoreless after 45 minutes, with the Fire controlling the ball 69% of the first half to the tune of six corners and four shots on goal. First touches let the Fire’s strikers down, while Union Omaha struggled to maintain possession once their counter was thwarted.

Chicago was finally able to jump ahead in the 53rd minute. Jhon Durán was mauled in the penalty area by a recently introduced Eddie Gordon, giving Chicago the opportunity from the penalty spot.

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The Fire’s Raphael Czichos, a last-minute addition to the starting lineup, took the penalty kick and drilled it into the right-corner of the net to give the Fire a 1-0 lead.

After exchanging possession for a few minutes, Union Omaha finally struck back when they finally got their first shot on goal.

Following a few shots that were turned away by Chicago Fire defenders, the ball fell to the foot of Omaha substitute Noe Meza in the 68th minute inside the penalty area. Meza unleashed a rocket off his right foot that found the back of the Fire net to level the match at one, earning his first professional goal in the process.

Omaha nearly struck again in the 86th minute. The ball was crossed into the Chicago penalty area before being half-cleared by keeper Spencer Richey. The ball bounced between Omaha forwards, before the Fire were finally able to thwart the Owls’ attack.

Chicago should’ve won the match in regulation. Brian Gutierrez’s 90th minute cross found the head of Chinoso Offor, who turned the ball toward the net. The ball bounced in front of goal, just missing the foot of Victor Bezerra before Omaha was able to clear.

That would be the last chance for either team in regulation.

A poor tackle from Jhon Jairo Espinoza gave Union Omaha a free-kick just outside of the penalty area in the 98th minute for the first real chance of extra time. Alihodzic struck the ball well with his right foot, but the effort was turned away by Spencer Richey.

Minutes later, Chicago Fire nearly had a goal of their own. After making a run down the channel, Stanislav Ivanov found Kacper Pryzbylko in front of goal, but the Fire’s number 11 missed his shot wide.

In the second extra time period, Meza nearly secured a brace for the Owls. After taking two dribbles in the 111th minute, Meza unleashed a rocket that was deflected away by Chicago’s Richey.

It took until the 115th minute for the Fire to regain the lead. Brian Gutierrez was tackled in the penalty area by Omaha’s Alihodzic, earning the Fire a penalty. Again, it was Czichos who buried the penalty into the right corner to give the Fire the 2-1 lead.

But Union Omaha refused to go away. In the waning moments of the second period of extra time, the Owls drew level once again. Following a run down the right flank, the ball fell perfectly to the substitute Alex Touche. Touche took his time and pushed the ball past Richey to tie the match at 2 in the 122nd minute, sending the match to penalty kicks.

Kacper Pryzbylko was the first to step to the penalty spot and the Fire striker’s shot screamed off the bar. After exchanging goals, Noe Meza’s effort was saved by a diving Richey to level the penalties at 2. Both clubs exchanged two more goals before the Fire’s Miguel Navarro had his penalty saved by Nuhu diving to his right. The Owls’ Dion Acoff stepped up to the spot and scored, securing the first USL League One upset over a MLS team in Open Cup history after winning the penalty shootout 5-4.

Chicago Fire Manager Ezra Hendrickson did not mince words in his post-match press conference when describing his team’s performance. “I don’t think tonight we displayed Chicago Fire soccer,” said Hendrickson. “It was just not intense enough. We didn’t play fast enough and I felt like we were too casual on the night.

“We warned these guys that, when you play a team like this from a lower division, they feel like they have a lot to prove. They’re gonna come, they’re gonna bring intensity, they’re gonna bring the effort and we have to match that. And I don’t think that we did that tonight.”

Union Omaha advance to the round of 32 which will be played on May 10 and 11. The round of 32 draw will take place Friday, April 22.

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