The Columbus Crew traveled to the Windy City on Saturday evening to take on the Chicago Fire and former head coach Gregg Berhalter, with both sides battling for playoff positioning. Despite a strong defensive effort from veteran goalkeeper Evan Bush, the Black & Gold came up short in a 2-0 defeat at Soldier Field.

Bush, making the start in place of Patrick Schulte, kept Columbus within reach by turning away six Fire attempts. But the breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Chicago defender Andrew Gutman drove a powerful strike inside the near post to give the hosts the early advantage.

The Fire doubled their lead in the 70th minute as Hugo Cuypers finished from close range, sealing the victory and snapping the Crew’s eight-match unbeaten run against Chicago that dated back to 2021 (7-1-1).

While the result wasn’t what Columbus hoped for, the night wasn’t without positives. Thanks to New York Red Bulls’ 3-2 loss to New York City FC, the Crew officially secured its spot in the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.

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