Chicago Fire FC

Founded in 1997, Chicago Fire had a victorious start in the MLS, winning the championship title in its inaugural season, and is one of the historic franchises in North American soccer.

History

Chicago Fire Soccer Club was created in 1997 as an MLS expansion team, adopting its name in reference to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In its first season, in 1998, it surprised by winning the MLS Cup and the US Open Cup in the same year, a rare feat in North American soccer. Throughout the 2000s, the club remained competitive, accumulating four US Open Cup titles and competing in conference finals. The team played its matches at Soldier Field, a stadium shared with the Chicago Bears of the NFL, and also had a period at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. In the 2020s, the club definitively returned to Soldier Field, in downtown Chicago, seeking to reconnect with the city's supporters after a period of institutional and sports restructuring.