The FIFA International Break is over, and Nashville SC are back in action, travelling to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Fire.
To get the latest on the Lions, we chatted with Tim Hotze of Men In Red 97.
Chicago's premier source for soccer news and analysis covering the Chicago Fire, MLS, and more.
Ben Wright (SixOneFive Soccer): What's the start of the season been like for the Fire? It seems like there's been some ups and downs so far?
Tim Hotze (Men In Red 97): So far, 2026 has been rocky for the Fire. While they haven't truly been outplayed in any of their games this season, they've also struggled to control games, and the offense hasn't been clicking the same way it was for so much of 2025.
Overall, the Fire should feel disappointed with two losses in games that were winnable, but also, like they have work to do if they're going to take a step forward, not a step back.
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BW: The Fire added some key pieces, but also lost Brian Guttiérez. How has the adjustment been, and do you have a sense of where the chance creation replacement will come from?
TH: Brian Gutiérrez's performances with the Fire were confounding: On one hand, he was able to create a lot with his top-level talents; on the other, he could disappear for long stretches, and it felt like he wasn't a difference-maker nearly as often as you'd expect from someone with his skill level in that role.
Still, the Fire have clearly missed what he was able to provide, especially with André Franco recovering from an ACL injury until after the World Cup. I'd thought that we'd see Robin Lod take over in that role until Franco returned, but early in the year, we've seen a lot of Philip Zinckernagel playing in different places throughout the midfield. That took him away from the right wing, where he had an All-Star season last year, and it didn't really work out well for the team.
