Chicago Fire FC Records Second Straight Shutout in 1-0 Victory against Atlanta United FC at Soldier Field
MLS Chicago Fire FC

Chicago Fire FC Records Second Straight Shutout in 1-0 Victory against Atlanta United FC at Soldier Field

Published on April 11, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


Chicago Fire FC's Maren Haile-Selassie and Andrew Gutman on the field
Chicago Fire FC's Maren Haile-Selassie and Andrew Gutman on the field
(Chicago Fire FC)

CHICAGO - Chicago Fire FC (4-2-1, 13 points) defeated Atlanta United FC (1-5-1, 4 points) on Saturday night at Soldier Field as winger Maren Haile-Selassie scored his first goal of the season and goalkeeper Chris Brady recorded a second straight shutout.

The victory propelled the Fire to second place in the Eastern Conference standings and marked the fourth clean sheet of the season for Brady, and his 21st overall.

Haile-Selassie and Robin Lod once again started at the top of the attack for the Fire, and it was Haile-Selassie who opened the scoring for the Men in Red in the 13th minute. The play started with Philip Zinckernagel carrying the ball into the right side of the box. Zinckernagel sent in a square pass to Jonathan Bamba at the penalty spot, who tapped it toward the top of the box with a defender at his back. Haile-Selassie picked up the pass, sending home a one-time shot past goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos.

NEXT MATCH: It's a double matchweek for the Fire as Chicago will travel to the Mitten to face USL Championship side Detroit City FC in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff at Keyworth Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, April 14, on Paramount+. The Men in Red will then head to Ohio to take on FC Cincinnati on Saturday, April 18. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast globally on Apple TV and transmitted locally on wlsam.com and the Uforia by TREBEL app.

Notes:

Winger Maren Haile-Selassie scored his first goal of 2026, and his 14th overall for the Men in Red, set up by Jonathan Bamba who tallied his second assist of the season.

Homegrown goalkeeper Chris Brady recorded the 21st shutout of his regular season career and fourth of the season. Brady recorded five saves against Atlanta.

A goal-line save and outstanding defensive performance that included a goal-line clearance earned South African defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi Xerox Man of the Match honors.

Forward Hugo Cuypers (Head); midfielders Chris Mueller (Not Due to Injury) and André Franco (Lower Body); and defender Sam Rogers (Lower Body) were unavailable for selection on Saturday.

Social: Twitter - @chicagofire, @vamosfire (Hashtags: #cf97 #VamosFire) | Instagram - @chicagofire | Facebook

Box Score:

Chicago Fire FC 1:0 Atlanta United FC

Goals:

CHI - Haile-Selassie (1) (Bamba 2, Zinckernagel 1) (WATCH) 13'

Discipline:

ATL - Jacob (Caution) 5'

CHI - Zinckernagel (Caution) 8'

CHI - Barroso (Caution) 47'

ATL - Berrocal (Caution) 78'

Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Barroso (Dean, 68'), D Mbokazi, D Elliott (capt.), D Gutman; M Zinckernagel (Shokalook, 89'), M Salétros, M D'Avilla (Pineda, 67'), M Bamba (Dithejane, 89'), F Lod, F Haile-Selassie

Subs not used: GK Cohen, D Radojević, D Waterman, M Oregel Jr., M Poreba

Head Coach: Gregg Berhalter

Atlanta United FC: GK Hoyos, D Baez (Amador, 78'), D Mihaj, D Gregerson, D Jacob, M Lobjanidze (Brennan, 78'), M Muyumba, M Sanchez (Alzate, 66'), M Galarza Fonda (Fortune, 88'), M Almirón (capt.), F Latte Lath (Tohashi, 78')

Subs not used: GK Hibbert, D Hernandez, D Berrocal, D Edwards

Head Coach: Jorge Theiler

Stats Summary: CHI / ATL

Shots: 18 / 20

Shots on Goal: 3 / 6

Saves: 5 / 2

Passing Accuracy: 83.4% / 88.2%

Corners: 6 / 11

Fouls: 13 / 5

Offsides: 2 / 2

Possession: 46% / 54%

Venue: Soldier Field (Chicago)

Attendance: 17,764

Referee: Drew Fischer

Assistant Referees: Ryan Graves, Gerard-Kader Lebuis

Fourth Official: Matt Thompson

VAR: Danielle Chesky

AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert





Images from this story

Chicago Fire FC's Maren Haile-Selassie and Andrew Gutman on the field
Chicago Fire FC's Maren Haile-Selassie and Andrew Gutman on the field

  



Major League Soccer Stories from April 11, 2026


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