Chicago Fire FC at New England Revolution | Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 6:30 PM CT / 7:30 PM ET | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts | Apple TV
I picked the Fire to beat Philadelphia on Wednesday, 3-2. They lost 3-1. Jack Elliott was sent off for a second yellow card at the end of the first half, and for the second home game in a row, Chicago spent a half with ten men. The three-game win streak is over, the playoff clinch has to wait, and now we go to Foxborough, where the Revs are 14-3-4 against Eastern Conference teams.
Match Info: Fire at Revolution
- Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
- Kickoff: 6:30 PM CT / 7:30 PM ET
- Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Broadcast: Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass, per one preview. Another page didn’t list a broadcaster, so confirm in the app
- Standings: Fire 4th in the East with 48 points (14W-6D-9L); the Revolution are just ahead of Chicago and have already clinched a playoff spot
- Odds: Revolution roughly +129 to +131, draw +267 to +281, Fire +164. One model gave New England 44%, a draw 23% and Chicago 33%
- Weather: The Revolution’s matchday guide lists scattered showers and a high around 70°F
What Went Wrong Against the Union
The first half was the good part. Maren Haile-Selassie put Chicago ahead in the 44th minute, his 11th goal of the season. Then Elliott picked up his first yellow in the 41st minute and a second in stoppage time, reportedly for a deliberate foul on Milan Iloski, and the Union scored three times in the 18 minutes after the break. Iloski equalized in the 49th, and Bruno Damiani scored in the 55th and 67th.
Gregg Berhalter called the refereeing “shocking” and said the two goals came from defensive lapses. That’s fair, but it’s also true that the Fire have now played two straight home matches with a man sent off. They won the first one, against NYCFC, but couldn’t do it again.
Philadelphia, by the way, now has a 14-match unbeaten run and eight straight wins. Losing to that team with ten men says as much about the Union as it does about us.
Who’s Available for Chicago
- Jack Elliott is suspended. One report says it’s a two-game ban, which would cover Saturday, but I couldn’t confirm the length from a second source.
- Dje D’Avilla served his ban after the NYCFC red card and is eligible to return.
- Out or limited: Robin Lod and Sam Rogers are out. Andre Franco (knee) is back in group training and nearing a return. Anzor Mekvabishvili trained with the group, but he was listed as injured on another page.
- Back line: The best-guess starters in front of Chris Brady were Leonardo Barroso, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Elliott and Jack Dean, and one of them is gone. Expect Berhalter to reshuffle.
Brady made four saves against Philadelphia.
The Revolution: Dangerous, but Wobbly
New England beat the Fire 2-1 at Soldier Field on September 13, and the club’s own matchday guide says the Revs have lost only once in their last 14 meetings with Chicago, a loss in Chicago last season. The last meeting in Foxborough, on October 18, 2025, was a 2-2 draw.
Form is mixed. The Revs lost 3-0 at home to Seattle, then 3-0 at Real Salt Lake, and then beat FC Cincinnati 3-2 in midweek to clinch a playoff place. Carles Gil is the engine, with 12 goals according to one stats page, and Dor Turgeman has seven or nine depending on the source. One page lists New England as allowing 41 goals this season. Leonardo Campana is day-to-day, and the Revs have a few other injuries, per one report.
The Matchups I’m Watching
Gil against a patched-together back four. Chicago needs to limit his space between the lines. Without Elliott, the Fire are asking someone else to organize that.
Haile-Selassie and Lewandowski against New England’s defense. Haile-Selassie has 11 goals and Lewandowski has six in about 900 minutes. With the back line in flux, the Fire will probably have to outscore New England.
Discipline. Two straight home red cards. Chicago can’t play another half a man down against a team that is better at home.
The race for a top-four spot. The first four seeds get a home playoff game. A loss doesn’t end that, but New England is in front and it matters in a tight table.
What Actually Decides It
The market doesn’t see this as a Fire game, and I understand why. The Revs are home, they have the head-to-head edge, and Chicago is missing its captain. But Haile-Selassie and Lewandowski can score against anyone, and New England has just lost twice by three goals.
I want to say Chicago bounces back. But New England has beaten us this season, the back line is thin and Berhalter has to choose between attacking and holding on. I’ll go with a close New England win and hope I’m wrong.
My Final Score Prediction: New England Revolution 2, Chicago Fire 1
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