At long last, Merry Crewsmas 2026 to all my fellow Black & Gold faithful! The Crew return to the friendly confines of the newly named Scotts Miracle-Gro Field for their first home match of the 2026 campaign. The Crew are yet to win in 2026 and will be looking to kickstart their season with a home win against long time rivals Chicago Fire. Conversely, the Fire have started the season a bit stronger with a 2-1 road loss in Houston and a 3-0 home victory over CF Montreal. Chicago are a team that many MLS analysts are very high on entering 2026 and will present a tough challenge for the Black & Gold.

After two straight road matches, the Crew have one precious point to their name in 2026. The Crew are experiencing some growing pains under new Head Coach Henrik Rydstrom thus far in 2026, particularly out of possession. The Crew rank 17th in Passes per Defensive Action (PPDA) thus far in 2026 with a PPDA of 12.12. To put this in perspective, the Crew finished 8th in PPDA in 2025 and 9th in 2024. This illustrates a frustration that Rydstrom has shown in the media indicating that the team’s defensive and pressing structure hasn’t been very good through two matches. On top of that, the Crew have been woeful in defensive transition. Of the 5 goals the Crew have given up in 2026, 4 of them came directly in this phase of play and you could probably make an argument for the 5th to be included as well. Thus, all eyes will be on the Black & Gold out of possession on Saturday.

The good news for the Black & Gold is that the attack has started the season firing with two goals for Wessam Abou-Ali and Diego Rossi. The Crew will look for more of the same from their two star attackers on MatchDay 3. Additional good news for the Black & Gold is that Chicago don’t seem to be as willing to attack in transition as Columbus’s previous foes in Portland and Sporting Kansas City. Chicago prefers to keep possession and may be more inclined to retain the ball than consistently attack the Crew in transition. Regardless, the new look Chicago Fire under former Crew Head Coach Gregg Berhalter will be the sternest test that the Black & Gold have faced to this point in 2026.

Chicago Fire at a Glance:

2026 Record: 2-1-0 (3 points)

2026 Leading Scorer: Hugo Cuypers (2)

2026 Assist Leader: N/A (Remarkably, no assists in 4 goals scored) 

Player to Watch: Hugo Cuypers

The 29-year-old Belgian striker Hugo Cuypers enters the 2026 season ready to lead the line for Chicago Fire FC after arriving as one of the club’s primary attacking pieces. Cuypers is a right-footed center forward who operates primarily as a traditional No. 9 and will likely play at the top of the attack in Gregg Berhalter’s 4-3-3 system.

Cuypers’ biggest strength is his movement inside the penalty area. He excels at finding pockets of space between center backs and making well-timed runs behind defensive lines, making him a constant threat on through balls and crosses. He is a clinical finisher with both feet and is particularly dangerous when attacking service into the box, whether from wide areas or quick combinations around the penalty area.

In addition to his finishing ability, Cuypers works hard off the ball and presses opposing defenders, which fits well in systems that ask the striker to initiate defensive pressure. While he is not a player who typically drops deep to dictate play, his intelligent positioning and quick reactions in the box make him a consistent goal threat whenever Chicago can deliver quality service.

How Chicago plays: 

Gregg is back! The former Crew and USMNT coach is back in Columbus as the head coach for the Chicago Fire. In his second year at the helm, Berhalter has helped in turning around the Fire’s roster and performances pretty quickly. After sneaking into the playoffs as the 8 seed last year, the Fire will be looking for a top 4 finish in the East and have the players to make that a reality. 

Berhalter almost exclusively deploys his teams in a 4-3-3 formation, as he has for the entirety of his coaching career. The game model for Berhalter isn’t dissimilar from Columbus. Berhalter and the Fire will look to keep possession of the ball, progress through the thirds of the field and create high value shots in the box. When in possession, Berhalter’s 4-3-3 shifts quite a bit. The two outside backs will look to take up positions high and wide to occupy opposing outside backs, while two central midfielders drop deeper to help circulate possession with the two center backs. The two wingers will tuck inside to support the central striker. The wingers also have the freedom with Chicago’s central attacking midfielder to drop into space to receive the ball and play forward. At its best, Berhalter’s shape and game model allows Chicago to easily progress the ball and have options up the field to ask questions of opposing back lines.

Defensively, Berhalter has asked his side to press much higher than I would consider “normal” in the past. Berhalter had his side pressing high off of opposing goal kicks last week and seem to have extender their pressure a bit higher than last season. Chicago’s shape when defending morphs between a 4-3-3 and 4-2-4. The striker and central attacking midfielder are close together at the top of the teams defensive shape while the wingers join the higher line as much as possible, especially when the ball is on the other side of the field from them. The two central midfielders are responsible for making sure that the backline cannot find opposing central midfielders to progress the ball. The idea for Berhalter is to force his teams opponents to either progress the ball in wide areas that are much easier to trap or force opponents to play long, hopeful balls that are easier to defend. While none of Berhalter’s defenseive tactics 

How the Crew can win:

Nothing this early in the season is a “must win” match in MLS. However, a win here would be a good thing for the Vibes in Columbus. With a tough Nashville team bound for Columbus next week followed by another 2 week road trip, this is a great opportunity for the Black & Gold to snag points at home.

1. Eliminate Transition Moments: As discussed, the Crew have been atrocious in defensive transition thus far in 2026. They have also been entirely too lenient in allowing their opponents opportunities to attack in transition. On ball turnovers (see SKC’s second goal) and losing the ball in bad areas have killed the Black & Goal in their two 2026 matches. Additionally, a “Professional Foul” in defensive transition wouldn’t hurt the Black & Gold when they are caught in transition. Look for an improvement in on ball decision making and decision making in the first few moments after the ball is lost.
2. Defend in Transition: I know what you are thinking, I have gotten lazy and I am re-writing my previous point in a different way, but hear me out. The Crew can be better at eliminating transition moments as outlined above. The Crew HAVE to be better when actually defending in transition, professional fouls, more effort (again look at SKC’s second goal) and stopping the ball first and tracking runners properly in transition would go a long way for the Black & Gold.
3. Manage a Lead: The Crew have taken the lead twice in 2026 and both times have given it away and been forced to chase the game from behind. That can’t be a trend that continues. For the Crew to elevate to the next level, they need to hold on to and grow leads instead of throwing them away and chasing the match from behind.