| Club: | Chicago Fire |
| Season: | 2019 |
| Chairman: | Andrew Hauptman (Until September 13) Joe Mansueto (Partial until September 13; sole afterwards) |
| Manager: | Veljko Paunović |
| Mgrtitle: | Head coach |
| Stdtitle: | Stadium |
| Stadium: | SeatGeek Stadium (capacity: 20,000) |
| League: | MLS |
| League Result: | Conference: 8th Overall: 17th |
| League2: | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| League2 Result: | Did not qualify |
| Cup1: | U.S. Open Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Fourth round |
| Cup2: | Brimstone Cup |
| Cup3: | Leagues Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Quarter-finals |
| League Topscorer: | C. J. Sapong, 12 goals (2 assists) |
| Season Topscorer: | Nemanja Nikolić, 13 goals |
| Highest Attendance: | League: 18,232 (July 27 vs. D.C. United) |
| Lowest Attendance: | League: 6,074 (May 8 vs. New England) |
| Average Attendance: | League: |
| Largest Win: | 5–0 (May 8 vs. New England Revolution) |
| Largest Loss: | 1–4 (May 18 vs. San Jose Earthquakes) |
| Pattern La1: | _chicagofire18h |
| Pattern B1: | _chicagofire18H |
| Pattern Ra1: | _chicagofire18h |
| Pattern Sh1: | _chicagofire18h |
| Pattern So1: | _chicagofire18h |
| Leftarm1: | FF0000 |
| Body1: | FF0000 |
| Rightarm1: | FF0000 |
| Shorts1: | FF0000 |
| Socks1: | FF0000 |
| Pattern B2: | _chicagofire19a |
| Pattern Sh2: | _adidasonwhite |
| Pattern So2: | _color_3_stripes_on_white |
| Leftarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Body2: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Shorts2: | CE1432 |
| Socks2: | CE1432 |
| American: | true |
| Prevseason: | 2018 |
| Nextseason: | 2020 |
The 2019 Chicago Fire season was the club's 21st year of existence, as well as their 22nd in Major League Soccer.
As of August 13, 2019. Sources: Chicago Fire official roster and Official MLS Roster
See also: List of Major League Soccer transfers 2018.
| Date | Player | Position | Previous Club | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 25, 2018 | F | Option was exercised | [1] | ||
| November 26, 2018 | M | Option was exercised | [2] | ||
| November 26, 2018 | D/M/F | Option was exercised | |||
| November 26, 2018 | G | Option was exercised | |||
| November 26, 2018 | D | Option was exercised | |||
| November 26, 2018 | D/M/F | Option was exercised | |||
| November 26, 2018 | D/M | Option was exercised | |||
| November 28, 2018 | M | Re-signed through 2019 after his contract expired | [3] | ||
| December 9, 2018 | F | [4] | |||
| December 27, 2018 | D | Signed through 2020 after being acquired from Sporting CP | [5] | ||
| January 22, 2019 | M | Signed through 2022 after being acquired from Jagiellonia Białystok | [6] | ||
| January 22, 2019 | D | Signed to a homegrown deal for 2019 with options for 2020, 2021, and 2022 | [7] | ||
| January 24, 2019 | M | Signed to a deal after being selected fourth overall in the 2018 MLS Waiver Draft; contract is for 2019 with options for 2020 and 2021 | [8] | ||
| January 24, 2019 | M | Signed to a deal after his rights were acquired in exchange for the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft; contract is for 2019 with options for 2020, 2021, and 2022 | |||
| January 25, 2019 | D | Signed to a homegrown contract through 2022 with an option for 2023 | [9] | ||
| January 26, 2019 | D | Re-signed through 2021 after his contract expired | [10] | ||
| January 27, 2019 | G | Acquired off waivers and signed a contract through 2019 with an option for 2020 | [11] | ||
| February 23, 2019 | F | Acquired from Philadelphia for $200k in 2019 TAM, $100k in 2020 TAM, and $100k in 2019 GAM if it becomes available. | [12] | ||
| March 8, 2019 | G | Signed as a homegrown player through 2022 with an option for 2023 | [13] | ||
| March 14, 2019 | M | Signed through 2019 with an option for 2020 | [14] | ||
| May 3, 2019 | D | Acquired for $400k in allocation money across 2019 and 2020 | [15] | ||
| May 7, 2019 | GK | Acquired from Holstein Kiel on a contract through 2021 with an option for 2022 | [16] | ||
| July 22, 2019 | D | Acquired from Maccabi Netanya on a contract through 2020 with an option for 2021 | [17] | ||
| August 7, 2019 | M | Acquired alongside a second-round draft pick and the Impact's allocation pick in exchange for the Fire's allocation pick and Jorge Corrales | [18] | ||
| Date | Player | Position | Destination Club | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 28, 2018 | F | Retired | [19] | ||
| October 30, 2018 | D | Retired | [20] | ||
| October 31, 2018 | D | Retired | [21] | ||
| November 26, 2018 | D | Option was declined, and his rights were ultimately traded to Seattle on December 28, 2018 | [22] | ||
| November 26, 2018 | M | Option was declined | |||
| November 26, 2018 | F | Option was declined | |||
| November 26, 2018 | M | Option was declined | |||
| November 26, 2018 | G | Option was declined | |||
| November 26, 2018 | F | Option was declined | |||
| November 26, 2018 | D/M | Out of contract, later signed with Rangers | |||
| November 26, 2018 | F | Option was declined | |||
| January 27, 2019 | D | Waived | |||
| March 28, 2019 | D/M | Waived | [23] | ||
| July 17, 2019 | M | Traded for $100k in 2020 GAM | [24] | ||
| August 7, 2019 | D | Traded alongside the Fire's allocation pick in exchange for a second-round draft pick, the Impact's allocation pick, and Michael Azira | |||
The following players were drafted and did not sign a contract:
Ebenezer Ackon (D), selected 53rd overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft from Bowling Green State University; signed with San Antonio FC[25] [26]
Mark Forrest (F), selected 77th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft from Lehigh University[25] Grant Stoneman (D), selected 55th overall in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft from Loyola University Chicago; signed with Lansing Ignite[25] [27]
Marco Ureña (F), selected in the Waiver Draft from Los Angeles FC; signed with Liga Deportiva Alajuelense[28] [29]The following players were trialing or training with the club but did not sign a contract:
| Date | Player | Position | Destination Club | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1, 2019 | F | Loaned out with the option for the Fire to recall at any point | [31] [32] | ||
| March 16, 2019 | M | Returned for the game against the New York Red Bulls on March 30 | [33] | ||
Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)
Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)
See main article: 2019 U.S. Open Cup.
As a member of MLS, the Fire will enter the competition at the fourth round, scheduled to be played on June 12, 2019.[34]
Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)
The Fire were invited to this inaugural edition of this competition between MLS and Liga MX.
Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)
| Name | MLS | Open Cup | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starts | Minutes | Starts | Minutes | Starts | Minutes | |||||||
| 1 | GK | David Ousted | 14 | 14 | 1260 | 14 | 14 | 1260 | ||||
| 2 | DF | Marcelo | 12 | 16 | 1147 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 13 | 17 | 1237 | |
| 3 | DF | Jonathan Bornstein | 10 | 10 | 848 | 10 | 10 | 848 | ||||
| 4 | DF | Johan Kappelhof | 28 | 28 | 2472 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 2497 | |
| 5 | DF | Francisco Calvo | 20 | 22 | 1846 | 20 | 22 | 1846 | ||||
| 6 | MF | Dax McCarty | 31 | 31 | 2760 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 32 | 32 | 2850 | |
| 7 | M/D | Raheem Edwards | 2 | 4 | 244 | 1 | 1 | 67 | 3 | 5 | 311 | |
| 9 | FW | C. J. Sapong | 28 | 31 | 2507 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 29 | 32 | 2597 | |
| 10 | MF | Aleksandar Katai | 23 | 28 | 2013 | 23 | 28 | 2013 | ||||
| 11 | MF | Przemysław Frankowski | 23 | 30 | 2210 | 23 | 30 | 2210 | ||||
| 12 | MF | Amando Moreno | 7 | 77 | 7 | 77 | ||||||
| 13 | MF | Brandt Bronico | 19 | 28 | 1777 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 29 | 1782 | ||
| 14 | MF | Djordje Mihailovic | 16 | 26 | 1424 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 17 | 27 | 1514 | |
| 15 | DF | Grant Lillard | 2 | 4 | 206 | 1 | 65 | 2 | 5 | 271 | ||
| 16 | MF | Michael Azira | 2 | 4 | 216 | 2 | 4 | 216 | ||||
| 17 | FW | Diego Campos | 5 | 10 | 439 | 1 | 1 | 85 | 6 | 11 | 524 | |
| 18 | MF | Cristian Martinez | 5 | 50 | 5 | 50 | ||||||
| 20 | MF |  Argentina | Nicolás Gaitán | 24 | 26 | 1967 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 25 | 27 | 2057 |
| 21 | FW | Fabian Herbers | 7 | 16 | 730 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 7 | 17 | 820 | |
| 23 | FW | Nemanja Nikolić | 25 | 30 | 1983 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 26 | 31 | 2073 | |
| 27 | GK | Kenneth Kronholm | 19 | 19 | 1710 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 20 | 20 | 1800 | |
| 28 | FW | Elliot Collier | ||||||||||
| 30 | GK | Stefan Cleveland | ||||||||||
| 31 | MF | Bastian Schweinsteiger | 29 | 29 | 2586 | 29 | 29 | 2586 | ||||
| 32 | GK | United States | Gabriel Slonina | |||||||||
| 33 | MF | Jeremiah Gutjahr | 5 | 8 | 502 | 5 | 8 | 502 | ||||
| 36 | DF | Andre Reynolds III | ||||||||||
| 45 | GK | Richard Sánchez | ||||||||||
| MF | Mo Adams | 5 | 10 | 484 | 5 | 10 | 484 | |||||
| D/M |  Liechtenstein | Nicolas Hasler | 1 | 3 | 73 | 1 | 3 | 73 | ||||
| DF | Jorge Luis Corrales | 13 | 15 | 1036 | 1 | 23 | 13 | 16 | 1059 | |||
| Name | MLS | Open Cup | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean sheets | Saves | Clean sheets | Saves | Clean sheets | Saves | ||||||
| 1 | David Ousted | 4 | 35 | 20 | 4 | 35 | 20 | ||||
| 27 | Kenneth Kronholm | 4 | 47 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 48 | 27 | ||
| 30 | Stefan Cleveland | ||||||||||
| 32 | United States | Gabriel Slonina | |||||||||
| 45 | Richard Sánchez | ||||||||||
| Player | |||
| 1 | C. J. Sapong | 12 | 2 |
| 2 |  Nemanja Nikolić | 12 | 1 |
| 3 | Aleksandar Katai | 5 | 6 |
| 4 | Nicolás Gaitán | 4 | 12 |
| 5 | Francisco Calvo | 3 | 2 |
| 6 |  Przemysław Frankowski | 3 | 9 |
| 7 | Djordje Mihailovic | 3 | 1 |
| 8 | Fabian Herbers | 3 | |
| 9 | Dax McCarty | 1 | 3 |
| Bastian Schweinsteiger | |||
| 11 | Brandt Bronico | 1 | 2 |
| 12 |  Raheem Edwards | 1 | |
| 13 | Johan Kappelhof | 2 | |
| 14 | Mo Adams | 1 | |
| Jeremiah Gutjahr | |||
| Player | |||
| 1 | Nemanja Nikolić | 1 | |
| Player | |||
| 1 | Nemanja Nikolić | 13 | 1 |
| 2 | C. J. Sapong | 12 | 2 |
| 3 | Aleksandar Katai | 5 | 6 |
| 4 | Nicolás Gaitán | 4 | 12 |
| 5 | Francisco Calvo | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | Przemysław Frankowski | 3 | 9 |
| 7 | Djordje Mihailovic | 3 | 1 |
| 8 | Fabian Herbers | 3 | |
| 9 | Dax McCarty | 1 | 3 |
| Bastian Schweinsteiger | |||
| 11 | Brandt Bronico | 1 | 2 |
| 12 | Raheem Edwards | 1 | |
| 13 | Johan Kappelhof | 2 | |
| 14 | Mo Adams | 1 | |
| Jeremiah Gutjahr | |||
| Player | Matches Missed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jorge Luis Corrales | 4 | 1 | March 16 vs Seattle Sounders | |
| 2 | Aleksandar Katai | 2 | 1 | August 17 vs Philadelphia Union August 24 vs New England | |
| 3 | Nicolás Gaitán | 2 | 1 | Suspension lifted | |
| 4 | Bastian Schweinsteiger | 10 | May 18 vs San Jose Earthquakes July 13 vs FC Cincinnati | ||
| 5 | Mo Adams | 4 | |||
| Johan Kappelhof | |||||
| Dax McCarty | |||||
| Djordje Mihailovic | |||||
| 9 | Francisco Calvo | 3 | |||
| Przemysław Frankowski | |||||
| Nemanja Nikolić | |||||
| C. J. Sapong | |||||
| 13 | Brandt Bronico | 2 | |||
| Raheem Edwards | |||||
| Fabian Herbers | |||||
| 16 |  Michael Azira | 1 | |||
| Jonathan Bornstein | |||||
| Diego Campos | |||||
| Jeremiah Gutjahr | |||||
 Marcelo | |||||
| Player | Matches Missed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johan Kappelhof | 1 | |||
| Player | Matches Missed | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jorge Luis Corrales | 4 | 1 | March 16 vs Seattle Sounders | |
| 2 | Aleksandar Katai | 2 | 1 | August 17 vs Philadelphia Union August 24 vs New England | |
| 3 | Nicolás Gaitán | 2 | 1 | Suspension lifted | |
| 4 | Bastian Schweinsteiger | 10 | May 18 vs San Jose Earthquakes July 13 vs FC Cincinnati | ||
| 5 | Johan Kappelhof | 5 | |||
| 6 | Mo Adams | 4 | |||
| Dax McCarty | |||||
| Djordje Mihailovic | |||||
| 9 | Francisco Calvo | 3 | |||
| Przemysław Frankowski | |||||
| Nemanja Nikolić | |||||
| C. J. Sapong | |||||
| 13 | Brandt Bronico | 2 | |||
| Raheem Edwards | |||||
| Fabian Herbers | |||||
| 16 | Michael Azira | 1 | |||
| Jonathan Bornstein | |||||
| Diego Campos | |||||
| Jeremiah Gutjahr | |||||
| Marcelo | |||||
Note: Italics indicates a player who left during the season
Man of the Match Awards
| Game # | Player | Position | Notable Statistics | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Ousted | GK | 3 SV, 2 GA | [35] |
| 2 | C. J. Sapong | MF | 1 G, 1 SOG | [36] |
| 3 | Przemysław Frankowski | MF | 1 A | [37] |
| 4 | Mo Adams | MF | 2 tackles, 3 interceptions, 74% passing | [38] |
| 5 | C. J. Sapong (2) | MF | 1 G | [39] |
| 6 | Dax McCarty | MF | 4 key passes, 12 recoveries | [40] |
| 7 | Nicolás Gaitán | MF | 2 A | [41] |
| 8 | David Ousted (2) | GK | 2 SV, 1 GA | [42] |
| 9 | Johan Kappelhof | DF | 7 recoveries, 1 tackle | [43] |
| 10 | Przemysław Frankowski (2) | DF | 5 tackles | [44] |
| 11 | Nemanja Nikolić | FW | 2 goals | [45] |
| 12 | Johan Kappelhof (2) | DF | 1 A | [46] |
| 13 | No player named | |||
| 14 | C. J. Sapong (3) | F | 1 G | [47] |
| 15 | Nicolás Gaitán (2) | MF | 1 A | [48] |
| 16 | No player named | |||
| 17 | Aleksandar Katai | MF | 1 G | [49] |
| 18 | No player named | |||
| 19 | Nicolás Gaitán (3) | MF | 1 G, 3 A | [50] |
| 20 | No player named | |||
| 21 | Dax McCarty (2) | MF | [51] | |
| 22 | Johan Kappelhof (2) | DF | [52] | |
| 23 | No player named | |||
| 24 | Johan Kappelhof (3) | DF | [53] | |
| 25 | Kenneth Kronholm | GK | 4 SV | [54] |
| 26 | Bastian Schweinsteiger | MF | 1 G | [55] |
| 27 | Nemanja Nikolić (2) | FW | 1 G | [56] |
| 28 | Nemanja Nikolić (3) | FW | 2 G | [57] |
| 29 | No player named | |||
| 30 | Przemysław Frankowski (3) | MF | 1 G | [58] |
| 31 | C. J. Sapong (4) | MF | 2 G | [59] |
| 32 | Francisco Calvo | DF | [60] | |
| 33 | ||||
| 34 | ||||
| Week | Player | Position | Report |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Bastian Schweinsteiger | D | [62] |
| Dax McCarty | Bench | ||
| 6 | Aleksandar Katai | M | [63] |
| 7 | Bastian Schweinsteiger (2) | D | [64] |
| 8 | Nicolás Gaitán | Bench | [65] |
| 10 | Dax McCarty (2) | Bench | [66] |
| 11 | Francisco Calvo | D | [67] |
| Nicolás Gaitán (2) | M | ||
| Aleksandar Katai (2) | Bench | ||
| 18 | Nicolás Gaitán (3) | Bench | [68] |
| C. J. Sapong | |||
| 22 | Nicolás Gaitán (4) | Bench | [69] |
| 23 | Bastian Schweinsteiger (3) | D | [70] |
| 24 | Nemanja Nikolić | F | [71] |
| 26 | Przemysław Frankowski | Bench | [72] |
| 28 | Przemysław Frankowski (2) | M | [73] |
| C. J. Sapong (2) | Bench | ||
| 31 | Przemysław Frankowski (3) | M | [74] |
Nelson Rodriguez announced on January 8, 2019, that the Fire's affiliation with Tulsa had ended, and that they'd affiliate with Indy Eleven in the USL Championship and Lansing Ignite in USL League One for the year.[75] The following players were loaned to either team above:
| Date | Player | Position | Destination Club | Return Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1, 2019 | D/M/F | Lansing | March 16, 2019 | ||
| May 16, 2019 | G | Lansing | [76] | ||
| May 16, 2019 | D | Lansing | |||
| May 24, 2019 | D/M | Lansing | [77] | ||
Panama national under-23 football team
Cristian Martínez
United States
Senior Team
Djordje Mihailovic
Note: Italics indicates player left after his first call up
