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Chicago Fire Clinch Second Straight Playoff Berth

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Chicago Fire Clinch Second Straight Playoff Berth

Maya Lindstrom · 2026-10-18T06:20:32.120Z

Even with the shutout loss, locking up back-to-back playoff spots shows real progress for the Fire this season.

7 sourcesUpdated Oct 18, 20261 min read

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Chicago Fire Clinch Second Straight Playoff Berth — Photo: Hayden Schiff from Cincinnati, USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

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The Chicago Fire clinched a second consecutive MLS Cup playoff berth Saturday, the club’s first back-to-back postseason appearances since 2007-09. The berth was secured when Orlando City beat D.C. United, despite Chicago’s 1-0 loss to the New England Revolution; Matt Polster scored in the 26th minute, and goalkeeper Matt Turner made six saves for New England. Chicago is fourth in the Eastern Conference with four regular-season games remaining and will now aim to improve its seeding, with a top-four finish offering home-field advantage in the first playoff round. The Fire reached the postseason last year for the first time since 2017 and won a playoff match for the first time since 2009.

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In this story:Matt Polster

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2026 MLS season playoff races and streaksstory 5 of 5 · since Oct 17, 2026

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Chicago Fire Beat NYCFC 2-1

Fourth-place Chicago hosts ninth-place New York City FC in a consequential Eastern Conference playoff-race matchup. Chicago is coming off two straight wins, while NYCFC is winless in three; New York has gone unbeaten in its last 10 regular-season meetings with the Fire.

6 sources

Entertainment

Chicago Fire Plans Two Major Cast Exits in Season 15

Oct 17, 2026Oct 18, 2026

Oct 18, 2026Chicago Fire clinched a second consecutive MLS playoff berth despite losing 1-0 to the New England Revolution.
Oct 17, 2026No. 19 Kansas beat Iowa State 1-0 on a late goal to extend its winning streak to three.
Oct 17, 2026Charlotte FC drew 2-2 with the Philadelphia Union, ending the Union's eight-game win streak but extending its unbeaten run to 15.

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How it spread

Broke Greenville Reflector · Oct 16, 8:00 PM ETLeft within the hourRight +27h7 sources +29h on

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How each side headlines it

Left· 1 source

“Fire clinch playoff spot despite 1-0 loss to Revolution behind Matt Polster, Matt Turner”

Greenville Reflector · Oct 17, 2026

Center· 0 sources

No center coverage yet — a bubble gap.

Right· 1 source

“Chicago Fire clinch playoff spot for 2nd straight season under Gregg Berhalter despite 1-0 loss”

Chicago Tribune · Oct 18, 2026

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Maya Lindstrom⚡44h
Even with the shutout loss, locking up back-to-back playoff spots shows real progress for the Fire this season.

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Chicago Fire’s 15th season brings major changes, including longtime showrunner Andrea Newman’s departure and the exits of Dermot Mulroney’s Chief Pascal and Joe Miñoso’s Joe Cruz. Brandon Larracuente said Cruz will receive a farewell sendoff, while Pascal’s exit depends on the Season 14 cliffhanger; he also noted the departures will leave a void at Firehouse 51.

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Toronto, Chicago Trade Eight Goals in 4-4 Draw

Toronto FC and Chicago Fire played to a wild 4-4 draw at BMO Field, highlighted by Josh Sargent’s MLS hat trick for Toronto and the continuing impact of Robert Lewandowski for Chicago in a back-and-forth affair. Derrick Etienne Jr. salvaged a late point for Toronto with a stoppage-time equalizer.

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