The 2024 Chicago Fire FC season was the club's 26th year of existence, as well as their 27th season in Major League Soccer. This was the fifth and final season for sporting director Georg Heitz, who would leave following the season's conclusion, as well as the final season for head coach Frank Klopas as head coach- both men would be replaced by Gregg Berhalter following the season's conclusion. The Fire ultimately failed to qualify for the playoffs for the seventh season in a row, the longest in team history and longest active streak in MLS.
Current squad Players signed as of August 15, 2024
No. Name Nationality Position Date of birth (age) Previous club Player Notes Goalkeepers 18 Spencer Richey G Seattle Sounders FC 25 Jeff Gal G Degerfors IF 34 Chris Brady G Chicago Fire Academy Homegrown 78 Bryan Dowd G Notre Dame Loaned Out Defenders 2 Arnaud Souquet D Montpellier HSC 4 Carlos Terán D Envigado F.C. 5 Rafael Czichos D 1. FC Köln 14 Tobias Salquist D Silkeborg IF International 15 Andrew Gutman D Colorado Rapids 16 Wyatt Omsberg D Minnesota United FC 22 Mauricio Pineda D North Carolina Tar Heels 24 Jonathan Dean D Birmingham Legion FC 27 Allan Arigoni D FC Lugano InternationalLoaned In 36 Justin Reynolds D Chicago Fire FC II Homegrown 77 Chase Gasper D Houston Dynamo Midfielders 7 Maren Haile-Selassie M FC Lugano International 11 Ariel Lassiter M CF Montréal 17 Brian Gutiérrez M Chicago Fire Academy HomegrownU22 Initiative 21 Fabian Herbers M Philadelphia Union 23 Kellyn Acosta M LAFC 30 Gastón Giménez M Vélez Sarsfield 31 Federico Navarro M Talleres de Cordoba U22 Initiative 35 Sergio Oregel M Chicago Fire AcademyHomegrown 37 Javier Casas M Chicago Fire Academy Homegrown 38 Laurence Wootton M Ohio State InternationalLoaned Out Forwards 8 Chris Mueller F Hibernian F.C. 9 Hugo Cuypers F Gent InternationalDesignated Player 12 Tom Barlow F New York Red Bulls 19 Georgios Koutsias F PAOK FC InternationalU22 Initiative 32 Missael Rodriguez F Chicago Fire AcademyHomegrownLoaned Out 33 Victor Bezerra F Indiana HoosiersHomegrownLoaned Out
Player movement
Returning, options, and new contracts DatePlayerPositionNotesRefNovember 14, 2023 Brian Gutiérrez M Signed to a new Homegrown U22 contract until 2028 November 22, 2023 Jonathan Dean D Option for 2024 exercised November 22, 2023 Jeffrey Gal G Option for 2024 exercised November 22, 2023 Fabian Herbers M Option for 2024 exercised November 22, 2023 Wyatt Omsberg D Option for 2024 exercised November 22, 2023 Spencer Richey G Option for 2024 exercised January 14, 2024 Javier Casas M Re-signed to a contract for 2024 with options for 2025 and 2026 after his contract option expired in 2023 July 1, 2024 Justin Reynolds D Returned from his loan to FC Lugano
In DatePlayerPositionPrevious clubNotesRefNovember 22, 2023 Maren Haile-Selassie M FC Lugano Fire exercised their purchase option, signing him reportedly through 2026 December 12, 2023 Andrew Gutman D Colorado Rapids Acquired from Colorado in exchange for Miguel Navarro and $450k in GAM spread out over 2024 and 2025, and immediately signed to a contract through 2026 with an option for 2027 December 18, 2023 Tom Barlow F New York Red Bulls Acquired from New York in exchange for $250k in GAM spread out over 2024 and 2025 with another $150k if certain requirements are met January 14, 2023 Tobias Salquist D Silkeborg IF Signed from Silkeborg on a contract through 2025 with an option for 2026 January 15, 2023 Bryan Dowd G Notre Dame Signed to a contract for 2024 with options through 2027 after being drafted 6th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft January 30, 2024 Chase Gasper D Houston Dynamo Traded from Houston in exchange for a third round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft February 6, 2024 Hugo Cuypers F Gent Acquired as a Designated Player via transfer from K.A.A Gent for a Club-record fee. Contract will run through 2026 with an option for 2027. February 13, 2024 Kellyn Acosta M Los Angeles FC Signed as a free agent to a contract through 2026 with an option for 2027 April 3, 2024 Laurence Wootton M Ohio State Signed to a contract for 2024 with options through 2027 and was immediately loaned out to Indy Eleven August 14, 2024 Ariel Lassiter M CF Montréal Joined from Montreal for $75k in GAM for 2024 and possibly $75k in GAM in 2025 if certain parameters are met
Loaned In DatePlayerPositionLoaning ClubNotesRefJanuary 15, 2024 Allan Arigoni D FC Lugano Loaned in for 2024 with an option to buy
Out DatePlayerPositionDestination ClubNotesRefOctober 23, 2023 Kei Kamara F Los Angeles FC Contract expired November 9, 2023 Alex Monis M New England Revolution II Contract expired November 22, 2023 Alonso Aceves D Pachuca Loan deal expired November 22, 2023 Kendall Burks D San Antonio FC Option for 2024 declined November 22, 2023 Ousmane Doumbia M FC Lugano Loan deal expired November 22, 2023 Allan Rodriguez M Option for 2024 declined December 12, 2023 Miguel Navarro D Colorado Rapids Traded to Colorado alongside $450k in GAM in exchange for Andrew Gutman February 9, 2024 Jairo Torres F FC Juárez Mutual termination February 16, 2024 Kacper Przybyłko F FC Lugano Transfer August 14, 2024 Xherdan Shaqiri M FC Basel Mutually agreed to terminate contract
Loaned Out DatePlayerPositionDestination ClubNotesRefMarch 13, 2024 Justin Reynolds D FC Lugano Sent on a short-term loan to the Fire's sister club through the end of the Swiss season March 14, 2024 Missael Rodriguez F Union Omaha Loaned to Omaha for the 2024 USL League One season with the right to recall March 19, 2024 Victor Bezerra F Detroit City FC Loaned to Detroit for the 2024 USL Championship season with the right to recall April 3, 2024 Laurence Wootton M Indy Eleven Loaned to Indy for the 2024 USL Championship season June 27, 2024 Bryan Dowd G Huntsville City FC Loaned to Huntsville for the remainder of the 2024 MLS Next Pro season with an option for Nashville SC to purchase after the season
Second team Players Who Joined Fire PlayerPositionDate(s)Ref Omari Glasgow F May 4th vs New England Revolution (played 11 minutes)May 11th vs St. Louis CityMay 15 vs Charlotte (played 23 minutes)July 28 vs Sporting Kansas City (League's Cup) Diego Konincks D June 15 vs TorontoJuly 3rd vs PhiladelphiaJuly 7th vs SeattleJuly 13th vs NYCFC David Poreba M July 3rd vs PhiladelphiaJuly 13th vs NYCFCJuly 17th vs CincinnatiLeague's Cup Christian Koffi M League's Cup Harold Osorio M League's Cup Jaylen Shannon D League's Cup
Unsigned draft picks and trialists PlayerPositionPrevious clubNotesRefR2, P4 Oluwaseun Oyegunle DF Syracuse Did not join the team in preseason R2, P6 Jason Shokalook FW Akron Joined the team in Florida for preseason but didn't join the team in California; ultimately signed for the second team R3, P14 Shane de Flores MF Stanford Did not join the team in preseason
Alongside those listed above, Fire II defenders Lamonth Rochester and Jaylen Shannon and midfielder Omari Glasgow also travelled with the squad to Bradenton during preseason. During the trip to Coachella, Fire academy keeper Patrick Los was added to the roster, while Shannon, Rochester, and Shokalook did not travel with the team.
Technical staff
Competitions Major League Soccer Eastern Conference table
Overall table
Results summary
Match results Preseason
Regular season
U.S. Open Cup Chicago Fire FC was not sent to the tournament, but their MLS Next Pro team Chicago Fire FC II was sent instead following the deal reached on March 1, 2024.
Leagues Cup
West 4
Statistics Note: italics indicates a player who left during the season while * indicates a Fire II player that joined on a short-term loan or for the League's Cup
Games played NameMLSLeagues CupTotalStartsMinutesStartsMinutesStartsMinutes2DFArnaud Souquet212618745221692324204354DFCarlos Terán1418122151418122155DFRafael Czichos2729233612729233617MFMaren Haile-Selassie2327204022164252922048FWChris Mueller15271338611527133879FWHugo Cuypers313126303131263010MFXherdan Shaqiri91274591274511MFAriel Lassiter574475744712FWTom Barlow52873161276630807614DFTobias Salquist101491762216412161081615DFAndrew Gutman111173612271113763116DFWyatt Omsberg11128381311611138541317MFBrian Gutiérrez26322376221802834255618GKSpencer Richey11903322180332703319FWGeorgios Koutsias530794322166732960321MFFabian Herbers2430203812216426322202122DFMauricio Pineda11211143101190122212331023MFKellyn Acosta27342511221802936249124DFJonathan Dean12241103912241103925GKJeff Gal22427DFAllan Arigoni252820984125282098530MFGastón Giménez182916873221642031185131MFFederico Navarro81567771161816693832MFMissael Rodriguez33FWVictor Bezerra34GKChris Brady33332970233332970235MFSergio Oregel36DFJustin Reynolds181901119029280137MFJavier Casas11122111438MFLaurence Wootton42DFDiego Konnincks*443DFJaylen Shannon*1156115645MFHarold Osorio*48MFDavid Poreba*350MFChristian Koffi*24424455FWOmari Glasgow*2341134368177DFChase Gasper24241124241178GKBryan Dowd
Goalkeeping NameMLSLeagues CupTotalClean SheetsSavesClean SheetsSavesClean SheetsSaves18Spencer Richey3112515625Jeff Gal34Chris Brady41066041066078Bryan Dowd
Goals Player MLS League's Cup Total 1 Hugo Cuypers 10 0 102 Brian Gutiérrez 6 0 63 Maren Haile-Selassie 5 0 54 Georgios Koutsias 2 2 45 Kellyn Acosta 3 0 3 Fabian Herbers 3 0 37 Tom Barlow 2 0 2 Xherdan Shaqiri 2 0 29 Allan Arigoni 1 0 1 Rafael Czichos 1 0 1 Jonathan Dean 1 0 1 Gastón Giménez 1 0 1 Andrew Gutman 1 0 1 Mauricio Pineda 1 0 1 Carlos Terán 1 0 1
Assists Player MLS League's Cup Total 1 Maren Haile-Selassie 8 0 8 Fabian Herbers 5 0 53 Brian Gutiérrez 3 2 54 Kellyn Acosta 3 0 3 Gastón Giménez 3 0 3 Chris Mueller 3 0 37 Hugo Cuypers 2 0 2 Rafael Czichos 2 0 2 Ariel Lassiter 2 0 2 Xherdan Shaqiri 2 0 211 Chris Brady 1 0 1 Andrew Gutman 1 0 1 Georgios Koutsias 1 0 1 Tobias Salquist 1 0 1 Arnaud Souquet 1 0 1 Carlos Terán 1 0 1
Disciplinary record Player MLS League's Cup Total 1 Carlos Terán 3 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 12 Kellyn Acosta 6 0 0 1 0 0 7 0 0 Rafael Czichos 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 Fabian Herbers 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 05 Allan Arigoni 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 Federico Navarro 5 0 0 1 0 0 6 0 07 Brian Gutiérrez 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 Mauricio Pineda 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 09 Wyatt Omsberg 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 010 Hugo Cuypers 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 011 Tom Barlow 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Chris Brady 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Jonathan Dean 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Gastón Giménez 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 Georgios Koutsias 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 016 Chase Gasper 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Andrew Gutman 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Maren Haile-Selassie 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Ariel Lassiter 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Tobias Salquist 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Jaylen Shannon* 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 Xherdan Shaqiri 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Awards
MLS Team of the Matchday MatchdayPlayerPositionReport1/2 Brian GutiérrezM5 Kellyn AcostaM8 Xherdan ShaqiriM11 Chris Brady (1)G18 Brian GutiérrezM20 Fabian HerbersM Frank KlopasCoach24 Hugo CuypersF Maren Haile-SelassieBench27 Chris Brady (2)G31 Andrew GutmanBench32 Georgios KoutsiasBench
MLS Player of the Matchday WeekPlayerStatisticsReport24 Hugo Cuypers2 goals
Second team statistics Note: Stats are for regular and post season combined
Games played NameMLS Next ProMLS Next Pro PlayoffsOpen CupTotalStartsMinutesStartsMinutesStartsMinutesStartsMinutes2DFArnaud Souquet1145114516DFWyatt Omsberg11451145229018GKSpencer Richey2218011453322524DFJonathan Dean1190119025GKJeff Gal77630111208875031MFFederico Navarro1145114535MFSergio Oregel2021161622172121292325191736DFJustin Reynolds34234221765641037MFJavier Casas13131003221522211117171266
Goalkeeping NameMLS Next ProMLS Next Pro PlayoffsOpen CupTotalClean SheetsSavesClean SheetsSavesClean SheetsSavesClean SheetsSaves18GKSpencer Richey11611112625GKJeff Gal1178811259
Goals and assists RankPlayer1 Javier Casas212 Sergio Oregel123 Justin Reynolds1
Cards Player MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro Playoffs Open Cup Total 1 Sergio Oregel 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 7 0 02 Justin Reynolds 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 03 Javier Casas 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Notes </onlyinclude>
References