Two teams separated by just two points in the Eastern Conference standings square off in the opening match on Sunday in MLS as New York City FC host the Chicago Fire at Yankee Stadium.
A 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls lifted the Pigeons up to seventh in the East, two places above the Fire, who beat Charlotte FC 4-1.
Match preview
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It was another strong defensive display for New York City FC last weekend, as they held their arch-rivals to just one effort on target and collected their second successive MLS clean sheet.
On Sunday, they can stretch their unbeaten streak in MLS to three matches, which would be their longest run without losing since Pascal Jansen took charge.
Heading into matchday 15 of the domestic campaign, NYCFC are holding down the final automatic place in the opening round of the playoffs, with only three points currently separating them from Nashville SC in fourth.
New York City have lost their last two matches played in the Bronx, suffering defeats to CF Montreal and Minnesota United, respectively.
They have suffered back-to-back defeats at Yankee Stadium for the first time in the regular season since the 2016 campaign.
The Boys in Blue have points in seven straight meetings against the Fire, collecting five clean sheets over that span with four victories.
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An embarrassing 7-2 defeat versus Nashville SC last month seemed to wake up Chicago, who are on quite the hot streak heading into this clash.
Gregg Berhalter's side are on a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions since that defeat, winning their last four competitive fixtures.
Throughout the year, they have had their share of scoring opportunities, sitting third in the league for big chances per FotMob (46) and third when it comes to expected goals (25.3).
At last, though, they are making those chances count, winning their previous four competitive games by a combined margin of 13-3.
However, things can change quickly, and they are just a single point above the playoff line in the East but also a mere three below Inter Miami for sixth.
Chicago have won their last two away matches across all competitions, while their four league wins outside the Windy City in 2025 are twice as many as they had a year ago.
The Fire are winless in their last four regular-season away matches against New York clubs and have never beaten NYCFC on the road.
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Team News
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Last weekend, in the Hudson River Derby, New York City played without Malachi Jones, Keaton Parks, and Kevin O'Toole, who were all nursing leg injuries.
Alonso Martinez netted the winner 13 minutes into that clash, with Maxi Moralez netting his first of the 2025 campaign early in the second half.
At Charlotte, Chicago were without Carlos Teran, David Poreba, Chase Gasper and Leonardo Barroso, who all had lower body issues, while Chris Mueller was on paternity leave.
Brian Gutierrez had a brace on that occasion, with Jonathan Bamba and Philip Zinckernagel also finding the back of the net for the Fire.
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Freese; Gray, Martins, Haak, Risa; O'Neill, Perea; Fernandez, Moralez, Wolf; Martinez
Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:
Brady; Dean, Rogers, Elliott, Gutman; Kouame, Pineda, Gutierrez; Zinckernagel, Cuypers, Bamba
We say: New York City FC 1-2 Chicago Fire
Berhalter has Chicago firing on all cylinders, believing they can beat anyone, and their depth could power them to another victory on Sunday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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Joel Lefevre
