Chicago Fire Flip the Script in the Rain, Beat D.C. United 3 to 1 Behind Cuypers’ Historic Streak
Photo Credits: Ethan Garnier
WASHINGTON, D.C. - For sixty minutes on a wet Wednesday night at Audi Field, it looked like D.C. United had Chicago Fire FC exactly where they wanted them. They led at home, the tempo suited them, and the rain that began falling in the second half felt like classic D.C. game‑tilting weather.
In a furious, clinical, season‑defining turnaround, the Fire scored three unanswered goals in the final half hour to stun D.C. by a score of 3 to 1. It was a comeback powered by pressure, opportunism, and the unstoppable goal‑scoring form of Hugo Cuypers, who became just the fifth player in MLS history to score in nine straight matches.
This was not just a road win for Chicago. This was a statement.
First Half: D.C. Land the First Punch
The opening 45 belonged to United. The match was cagey and physical, with both sides jostling for control, and it took until the 41st minute for someone to break through.
Louis Munteanu set it up brilliantly: holding off defenders in the box, creating space, and laying the ball perfectly into the path of Tai Baribo, who took one touch and buried the opener. It was smooth. It was deserved. And it sent Chicago into halftime looking rattled.
The Fire couldn’t find their rhythm. Their pressing triggers came late; their transition play felt stalled. But the game shifted—literally—when the rain intensified after the hour mark. Audi Field slowed. The ball skidded. And Chicago woke up.
Second Half: The Downpour and the Momentum Swing
The equalizer came in the 61st minute and flipped every ounce of momentum.
Chicago turned a midfield recovery into a lightning strike of a sequence. D’Avilla pushed the ball wide and then Phillip Zinckernagel whipped in a dangerous cross. Rising above two D.C. defenders, Robin Lod snapped home a header that stunned the crowd and reset the match at 1 to 1.
From that moment, Chicago looked like the only team that knew exactly how to play in the rain.
And then came the chaos. Good chaos, Fire chaos.
The Sequence of the Season: Scramble, Missed PK, Mayhem, and Cuypers Again
In the 68th minute, Chicago attacked with growing confidence. Puso Dithejane forced a foul inside the box, winning a crucial penalty. This was the chance to seize control.
Johnson’s save spilled into danger. Andrew Gutman flew in, somehow stretched to keep the ball alive, and centered it back in front of goal. A scramble ensued. Defenders lunged. Players slipped in the rain.
And somewhere inside that chaos, Hugo Cuypers did what he does better than anybody in Major League Soccer right now: he found the ball, and he found the net.
Tapping home his 12th goal of the season, Cuypers became the fifth player in league history to score in nine straight games, elevating his season from “hot streak” to “historic.”
Chicago led 2 to 1. They were not done.
D.C. Pushes. Chicago Punishes.
United desperately hunted an equalizer. They pushed numbers, threw their fullbacks forward, and committed to the counterpress. For a few minutes, it worked, Chicago’s defensive line bent but didn’t crack.
And then, with three minutes left in regulation, Chicago delivered the dagger.
A foul just outside the box set up another Zinckernagel test. His long‑range strike screamed toward goal, forcing Johnson into a full‑extension save. But the rebound fell kindly for Maren Haile‑Selassie, who calmly collected, settled, and hammered home the Fire’s third goal.
D.C. slumped. Chicago celebrated. The match was done.
