Hugo Cuypers Scores in Ninth Straight to Spark 3-1 Comeback Victory at D.C. United
MLS Chicago Fire FC

Hugo Cuypers Scores in Ninth Straight to Spark 3-1 Comeback Victory at D.C. United

Published on May 13, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


WASHINGTON, D.C. - Chicago Fire FC (6-4-2, 20 points) scored three unanswered goals in the second half to win 3-1 against D.C. United (4-5-4, 16 points) Wednesday evening at Audi Field.

Forward Hugo Cuypers scored his 12th goal of the season, becoming the fifth player in Major League Soccer history to score in nine consecutive matches. Robin Lod and Maren Haile-Selassie also tallied in the second half to hand Chicago a second straight victory in Washington.

The hosts opened the scoring with four minutes remaining in the first half. Forward Louis Munteanu held up the ball in the box before laying off to Baribo, who took a touch before firing home the opener. They carried that momentum into the hour mark, when rain began to fall more intensely. After recovering a ball in the midfield, Dje D'Avilla passed out wide to Philip Zinckernagel, who whipped a cross into the box for Lod to head an equalizer to stun the home crowd.

The goal gave the visitors newfound confidence that winger Puso Dithejane turned into a penalty kick. Zinckernagel's kick was saved by D.C. goalkeeper Sean Johnson, but Andrew Gutman kept the ball in play before centering into the box. After a scramble, Cuypers struck for a ninth straight match, putting the Fire up 2-1 in the 71st minute.

D.C. pushed to level the score, but the Men in Red took advantage with a foul won beyond the box with three minutes left in regulation. Zinckernagel rifled a long-range shot that was parried away by Johnson, but Haile-Selassie brought down the rebound before lacing home the finishing touch on Chicago's sixth victory of 2026.

NEXT MATCH: The Men in Red close out a two-game road trip with a match against CF Montréal on Saturday, May 16. Saturday's matinee is set for 3:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast globally on Apple TV and transmitted locally on wlsam.com in English and TUDN Chicago 106.7-HD2 and Uforia by TREBEL app in Spanish.

Match Notes:

Hugo Cuypers became the fifth player in league history to score in nine consecutive games, extending his hold on the Club record. His 12th goal of the season put him in first place among league scorers, one ahead of Miami's Lionel Messi and Dallas' Petar Musa at the end of Matchday 13.

One match after becoming the 24th player in Fire history to reach the century mark in appearances, Maren Haile-Selassie tallied his third goal of the season to finish the scoring in the game. His six goal contributions this season put him on track to finish 2026 with more than the career-high 13 he recorded in 2023, when he notched five goals and eight assists.

Chris Brady recorded six saves in his first victory against D.C. United. The Homegrown goalkeeper was on international duty with the U.S. Men's National Team in 2025, when the Fire won 7-1 at Audi Field, missing an opportunity at his first career win in D.C.

In his 21st regular season match against D.C. United, Jack Elliott started and played all 90 minutes wearing the captain's armband for Chicago. The defender has now won seven of nine matches he has played at Audi Field, with his team outscoring the Black-and-Red 27-4 in those victories.

Defender Leonardo Barroso (Lower Body) and midfielders Anton Salétros (Head) and Sergio Oregel Jr. (Head) were not available for selection. Midfielder André Franco (Lower Body) remains on the league Injured List and will be unavailable through the World Cup break.

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

Box Score:

D.C United 1:3 Chicago Fire FC

Goals:

DC - Baribo (7) (Munteanu 1) (WATCH) 41'

CHI - Lod (2) (Zinckernagel 5, D'Avilla 1) (WATCH) 62'

CHI - Cuypers (12) (WATCH) 71'

CHI - Haile-Selassie (3) (WATCH) 87'

Discipline:

CHI - D'Avilla (Caution) 19'

CHI - Bamba (Caution) 48'

CHI - Elliott (Caution) 75'

CHI - Dean (Caution) 89'

CHI - Gutman (Caution) 90+6'

Chicago Fire FC: GK Brady, D Dean, D Elliott (capt.), D Mbokazi, D Gutman, M Pineda, M D'Avilla, M Zinckernagel (Mueller 90+4'), M Bamba (Dithejane 63'), F Lod (Haile-Selassie 63'), F Cuypers (Shokalook 90+5')

Subs not used: GK Cohen, D Rogers, D Radojević, D Waterman, D Borso

Head Coach: Gregg Berhalter

D.C. United: GK Johnson, D Markovic, D Bartlett (capt), D Rowles, M Hopkins (Murrell 87'), M Peltola, M Servania, M Peglow, F Baribo (Stroud 64'), F Munteanu

Subs not used: GK Farr, GK Bono, D Antley, D Herrera, M Clark, M Kijima, F Turner

Head Coach: René Weiler

Stats Summary: DC / CHI

Shots: 12 / 15

Shots on Goal: 7 / 8

Saves: 5 / 6

Passing Accuracy: 73.3% / 83.4%

Corners: 7 / 8

Fouls: 14 / 12

Offsides: 1 / 4

Possession: 42.3% / 57.7%

Venue: Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)

Referee: Ricardo Fierro

Assistant Referees: Corey Parker, Kyle Atkins

Fourth Official: Matthew Corrigan

VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.

AVAR: Matthew Rodman

Check out the Chicago Fire FC Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 13, 2026


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