The Fire’s season ended in ugly fashion on Saturday — on and off the field.
Needing a win in Game 2 of their Round 1 series against the Philadelphia Union, the Fire instead fell 3-0 at home in a match that sent the visitors through to the Eastern Conference semfinal.
As the game at SeatGeek Stadium entered its latter stages, the Fire’s chances of turning things around increasingly diminished. At that point, a homophobic chant sometimes heard at Mexico national team games (and in some MLS stadiums this year) started to become audible from the Fire’s supporters’ section.
Eventually, the game was briefly suspended for an in-stadium announcement in the 78th minute.
At that point, Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter took it upon himself to go behind the goal and address his team’s supporters’ section, imploring fans to not utilize the chant.
With the palms of his hands together, Berhalter can be heard saying: “We’re trying to get back into the game!”
Gregg Berhalter pleads with the fans to stop the chant #cf97 pic.twitter.com/nExoglCPZK
— Colin (@ufcolin) November 2, 2025
After the game, Berhalter condemned the chant in his post-match press conference.
“I think that it’s not who we are, it’s not who we’ve been all year,” Berhalter said. “We want a type of environment where people love coming to the stadium, love celebrating the game of soccer, and that chant has nothing to do with the game of soccer.”
The Fire also released a statement after the game echoing their coach’s comments.
“We’re disappointed in the unacceptable chanting that came from a group of supporters at this evening’s match. That behavior does not reflect who we are as a club or the values we stand for,” the statement read.
“The use of derogatory language at our matches is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Chicago Fire FC is committed to fostering an environment where everyone — players, staff, and fans — feel safe and welcome.”
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