Chicago Fire vs Portland Timbers preview

United States flag 2026 Major League Soccer, United States
Soldier Field Sun, 16 Aug - 10:00 PM
Major League Soccer
Chicago FireCHI
Portland TimbersPOT
KICKOFF : Sun, 16 Aug - 10:00 PM
Regular Season

CONTEXT

Chicago Fire welcome Portland Timbers to Soldier Field for a Major League Soccer regular season encounter in 2026. The home side currently occupies fourth place in the domestic standings while the visitors sit eighth. Chicago Fire hold a narrow power advantage of 2.5 points and are identified as the stronger team overall. Form scores show Chicago Fire at 25 and Portland Timbers at 27.28 entering the match. Both teams lack recent outing details and efficiency data remains unavailable. Set piece metrics carry low confidence and rely on proxy information. The contest features two sides with comparable overall strength yet differing league positions that could influence approach. Soldier Field provides the setting for what promises to be a measured league fixture.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Chicago Fire sit fourth in the league while Portland Timbers occupy eighth place with the home side holding a 2.5 point power advantage.
  • Form: Chicago Fire hold a form score of 25 compared to Portland Timbers at 27.28.
  • Squad: Chicago Fire are designated the stronger team with limited additional squad information available.
  • Efficiency: Efficiency data is unavailable for both teams in this fixture.
  • Transition: Transition metrics are not provided for either side ahead of the match.
  • Set pieces: Set piece analysis carries low confidence and uses proxy data due to unavailable xG metrics.
  • xVariable: Chicago Fire register a power score of 66.91 against Portland Timbers at 64.39.
  • Market: Baseline split: Chicago Fire 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Portland Timbers 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Chicago Fire G. Berhalter
G. Berhalter
VS
Portland Timbers M. Cifuentes Corvillo
M. Cifuentes Corvillo
1.71
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.33
2 i
Last 6 Opponents
Charlotte Rank: 67 W
New York City Rank: 67 L
Inter Miami Rank: 76 L
Toronto Rank: 59 W
CF Montréal Rank: 58 W
DC United Rank: 58 W
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1.67 i
Last 6 Opponents
Seattle Sounders Rank: 69 W
Real Salt Lake Rank: 65 W
Dallas Rank: 66 D
Seattle Sounders Rank: 68 W
SJ Earthquakes Rank: 66 L
Inter Miami Rank: 78 L
0
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
0 - 0 - 0
0
No sidelined player data available.

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
66.91
64.39
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Chicago Fire
Portland Timbers
Power Score
66.91
64.39
League Position
4
8
Global Rank
377
460

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Chicago Fire — Opponent-weighted form score
Portland Timbers — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Chicago Fire Portland Timbers

STARTING XI - EXPECTED

Pitch

General Information

Date & Time
Aug 16, 2026, 10:00 PM
Competition
2026 Major League Soccer, United States · Regular Season
Stadium
Soldier Field
Capacity
14286
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair

Expected Lineup

Starting XI ▼

1
Chris Brady
Chris Brady Goalkeeper
6.89
9
Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski Centre Forward
7.33
7
Maren Haile-Selassie
Maren Haile-Selassie Attacker
6.98
19
Jonathan Bamba
Jonathan Bamba Attacker
6.96
3
Jack Elliott
Jack Elliott Left Back
6.82
2
Leonardo Barroso
Leonardo Barroso Right Back
6.75
6
Anton Salétros
Anton Salétros Central Midfield
6.96
16
Joel Waterman
Joel Waterman Right Back
6.73
42
Djé D'Avilla
Djé D'Avilla Central Midfield
6.71
14
Viktor Radojević
Viktor Radojević Left Back
6.45
22
Mauricio Pineda
Mauricio Pineda Central Midfield
6.55

Starting XI ▼

25
Trey Muse
Trey Muse Goalkeeper
7
Ariel Lassiter
Ariel Lassiter Midfielder
6.94
10
David Da Costa
David Da Costa Midfielder
7.08
99
Kristoffer Velde
Kristoffer Velde Centre Forward
7.19
17
Cole Bassett
Cole Bassett Central Midfield
7.29
4
Kamal Miller
Kamal Miller Left Back
6.67
21
Diego Chará
Diego Chará Defensive Midfield
6.85
19
Kevin Kelsy
Kevin Kelsy Central Midfield
7.09
20
Finn Surman
Finn Surman Right Back
7.05
5
Brandon Bye
Brandon Bye Right Back
6.74
27
Jimer Fory
Jimer Fory Left Back
6.71

CONCLUSION

Chicago Fire will look to leverage their higher league position and home venue when facing Portland Timbers. The narrow power edge favors the hosts though form scores remain close between the sides. Limited efficiency and transition details leave room for on field adjustments during the contest. Set piece preparation carries uncertainty given the low confidence in available data. Both teams operate without recent outing records which adds an element of unpredictability to the regular season meeting. Chicago Fire may seek to control proceedings through structured play while Portland Timbers aim to close the positional gap. The match offers an opportunity for either side to gain ground in the standings.