2016 Chicago Fire season

The 2016 Chicago Fire season was the club's 21st year of existence, as well as their 19th season in Major League Soccer and their 19th consecutive year in the top-flight of American soccer.

Chicago Fire

2016 season
Chairman	Andrew Hauptman
Head coach	Veljko Paunović
Stadium	Toyota Park (capacity: 20,000)
MLS	Conference: 10th Overall: 20th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	Semifinals
Brimstone Cup	Did not win
Top goalscorer	League: David Accam (9) All: David Accam (14)
Highest home attendance	18,976 (Oct 16 vs New England Revolution)
Lowest home attendance	League: 12,073 (Apr 2 vs Philadelphia) Open Cup: 3,666 (Jul 20 vs Fort Lauderdale)
Average home league attendance	League: 15,602 (regular season) Open Cup: 5,133
Home colors Away colors Third colors

On November 24, 2015 Veljko Paunović, coach of the 2015 World Cup champions Serbia U-20 team, was announced as the Chicago Fire's new head coach.[1]

Chicago Fire began the regular season on March 6, 2016 with a home match against New York City FC. The Men in Red finished the regular season on October 23, 2016 with an away match against Toronto FC. The club has missed the playoffs for the sixth time in the past seven years.

The loss on the road to Vancouver Whitecaps on May 11, 2016 was the Fire's 28th straight match (19L, 9T) without a road win. This surpassed the New York Red Bulls for the longest road winless streak in MLS history.[2] With the away loss to Real Salt Lake on August 6, 2016 the streak extended to 36 matches (27L, 9T). The two-years and 28 days long streak finally ended when the Fire defeated Montreal Impact, 3-0, on the road on August 20, 2016. It was the first victory away from home since the Fire beat the New England Revolution, 1-0, in Foxborough, MA on July 12, 2014.[3]

Chicago Fire became the first team in MLS history to finish last in the overall table two years in a row.[4]

Squad at the end of the season

As of October 23, 2016. Source: Chicago Fire official roster

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of Birth (Aged)	Previous Club
Goalkeepers
23	Patrick McLain		GK	August 22, 1988 (aged 28)	Sacramento Republic FC
25	Sean Johnson		GK	May 31, 1989 (aged 27)	Atlanta Blackhawks
28	Matt Lampson		GK	September 6, 1989 (aged 27)	Columbus Crew
Defenders
3	Brandon Vincent		D	May 1, 1994 (aged 22)	Stanford Cardinal
4	Johan Kappelhof		D	August 5, 1990 (aged 26)	FC Groningen
5	Michael Harrington		D	January 24, 1986 (aged 30)	Colorado Rapids
6	Eric Gehrig		D	December 15, 1987 (aged 28)	Columbus Crew SC
13	Rodrigo Ramos		D	May 24, 1995 (aged 21)	Coritiba
16	Jonathan Campbell		D	June 27, 1993 (aged 23)	North Carolina Tar Heels
22	Patrick Doody		D	April 22, 1992 (aged 24)	Indiana Hoosiers
66	João Meira		D/M	April 30, 1987 (aged 29)	Belenenses
Midfielders
2	Matt Polster		M	June 8, 1993 (aged 23)	SIU Edwardsville Cougars
7	John Goossens		M	July 25, 1988 (aged 28)	FC Voluntari
12	Arturo Álvarez		M	June 28, 1985 (aged 31)	Videoton FC
15	Joey Calistri		M	November 20, 1993 (aged 22)	Northwestern Wildcats
17	Collin Fernandez		M	February 13, 1997 (aged 19)	Chicago Fire Juniors
18	Drew Conner		M	February 18, 1994 (aged 22)	Wisconsin Badgers
19	Khaly Thiam		M	January 7, 1994 (aged 22)	MTK Budapest
21	Nick LaBrocca		M	December 4, 1984 (aged 31)	Colorado Rapids
26	Michael Stephens		M	April 3, 1989 (aged 27)	Stabæk
29	Alex Morrell		M	May 11, 1994 (aged 22)	North Florida Ospreys
30	Răzvan Cociș		M	February 19, 1983 (aged 33)	FC Hoverla Uzhhorod
Forwards
8	Michael de Leeuw		F	October 7, 1986 (aged 30)	FC Groningen
9	Luis Solignac		F	February 16, 1991 (aged 25)	Colorado Rapids
10	David Arshakyan		F	August 16, 1994 (aged 22)	FK Trakai
11	David Accam		F/M	September 28, 1990 (aged 26)	Helsingborgs IF

Player movement

In

Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.

Date	Player	Position	Previous Club	Notes	Ref
November 30, 2015	Matt Polster	M	Chicago Fire	Exercised option	[5]
November 30, 2015	Patrick Doody	D	Chicago Fire	Exercised option	[5]
December 17, 2015	Joey Calistri	F	Chicago Fire Academy	Signed as a Homegrown Player	[6]
December 17, 2015	Drew Conner	M	Chicago Fire Academy	Signed as a Homegrown Player	[6]
January 14, 2016	Brandon Vincent	D	Stanford University	Drafted 4th overall (first round) in 2016 MLS SuperDraft, already signed contract with MLS	[7]
January 14, 2016	Jonathan Campbell	D	University of North Carolina	Drafted 12th overall (first round) in 2016 MLS SuperDraft, already signed contract with MLS	[7]
January 18, 2016	Michael Harrington	D	Colorado Rapids	Signed as a free agent	[8]
January 18, 2016	Patrick McLain	GK	Sacramento Republic FC	Signed as a free agent	[8]
January 23, 2016	Răzvan Cociș	M	Chicago Fire	Re-signed with the club, after initially having his contract option declined; signed one-year deal with one year club option	[5][9]
January 23, 2016	João Meira	D	Belenenses	Signed as a free agent, one-year deal with one year club option	[9]
January 27, 2016	Nick LaBrocca	M	Colorado Rapids	Signed as a free agent, one-year deal with one year club option	[10]
February 2, 2016	Johan Kappelhof	D	FC Groningen	Signed as a discovery signing using targeted allocation money	[11][12]
February 26, 2016	Matt Lampson	GK	Columbus Crew	Signed as a free agent after trial, one-year deal with one year club option	[13][14]
February 29, 2016	John Goossens	M	FC Voluntari	Signed after a trial, two-year deal with one year club option	[15][16]
March 3, 2016	Arturo Álvarez	M	Videoton FC	Signed after a trial, one-year deal with one year club option	[13][17]
March 11, 2016	Alex Morrell	M	North Florida Ospreys	Signed to a one-year deal with three-year club option, after being selected 22nd overall (second round) in 2016 MLS SuperDraft	[7][18][19]
May 17, 2016	Michael de Leeuw	F	FC Groningen	Signed as a discovery signing using targeted allocation money for a three-year deal through 2018 with a club option for 2019	[20]
August 3, 2016	David Arshakyan	F	FK Trakai	Signed as a Special Discovery Player, two-year deal with options for the third and fourth years	[21]
August 3, 2016	Luis Solignac	F	Colorado Rapids	Acquired in exchange for General Allocation Money	[22]

Out

Date	Player	Position	Destination Club	Notes	Ref
November 30, 2015	Adaílton	D	Miami FC	2016 contract option was declined, signed with Miami FC as a free agent on February 9	[5][23]
November 30, 2015	Jon Busch	GK	Indy Eleven	2016 contract option was declined, signed with Indy Eleven as a free agent on January 22	[5][24]
November 30, 2015	Greg Cochrane	D	San Antonio FC	2016 contract option was declined, signed with San Antonio FC as a free agent on February 25	[5][25]
November 30, 2015	Jason Johnson	F	San Antonio FC	2016 contract option was declined, signed with San Antonio FC as a free agent on February 16	[5][26]
November 30, 2015	Alec Kann	GK	Sporting Kansas City	2016 contract option was declined, selected by Sporting Kansas City in the Re-Entry Draft	[5][27]
November 30, 2015	Jeff Larentowicz	D	LA Galaxy	2016 contract option was declined, signed with LA Galaxy as a free agent on January 6	[5][28]
November 30, 2015	Lovel Palmer	D	Indy Eleven	2016 contract option was declined, signed with Indy Eleven on January 12	[5][29]
November 30, 2015	Chris Ritter	M	None	2016 contract option was declined	[5]
November 30, 2015	Daneil Cyrus	D	W Connection	Loan deal expired	[5]
November 30, 2015	Ty Harden	D	None	Out of contract, eligible for free agency	[5]
November 30, 2015	Mike Magee	F	LA Galaxy	Out of contract, signed with LA Galaxy as a free agent on January 14	[5][30]
November 30, 2015	Matt Watson	M	Carolina RailHawks	Out of contract, signed with Carolina RailHawks as a free agent on January 15	[5][31]
January 6, 2016	Patrick Nyarko	F	D.C. United	Traded for second round pick in 2016 MLS SuperDraft	[32]
January 14, 2016	Joevin Jones	D	Seattle Sounders FC	Traded in exchange for first round pick in 2016 MLS SuperDraft and allocation money	[33]
February 13, 2016	Harry Shipp	M	Montreal Impact	Traded for general allocation money and targeted allocation money, after initially having his option exercised on November 30, 2015	[5][34][35]
March 2, 2016	Kingsley Bryce	M	None	Waived, after initially having his option exercised on November 30, 2015	[5][36][37]
June 29, 2016	Gilberto	F	São Paulo FC	Mutual termination of contract; signed with São Paulo FC on July 15	[38][39]
July 29, 2016	Kennedy Igboananike	F	D.C. United	Traded for Targeted Allocation Money and the natural third round pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft	[40]

• Players selected in 2016 MLS SuperDraft, but ultimately not signed: midfielder Jack Harrison (1st overall, first round, from Wake Forest University) - traded to New York City FC,[41] midfielder Vincent Mitchell (62nd overall, fourth round, from Butler University)[42][43] and defender/midfielder Vincent Keller (57th overall, third round, from Creighton University).[36][42]
• Trialists released in the preseason: defender James Musa,[44] midfielder Parker Maher (Saint Louis FC),[13][43] goalkeeper Zach Bennett (winner of the Open Tryout),[43][45] defender Benedikt Krug,[43][46] defender Mauricio Pineda (Chicago Fire Academy),[36][47] goalkeeper Callum Irving,[15][36] goalkeeper Matt Bersano[36][43] and midfielder Christian Volesky.[36][43]

Loans

Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.

In

Date	Player	Position	Loaned from	Notes	Ref
February 3, 2016	Rodrigo Ramos	D	Coritiba	Acquired as a Discovery Signing on a one-year loan	[48]
May 4, 2016	Khaly Thiam	M	MTK Budapest	Acquired on loan through the end of 2016	[49]

Technical staff

Position	Staff
General Manager	Nelson Rodríguez
Head Coach	Veljko Paunović
Assistant Coach	Marko Mitrović
Assistant Coach	Logan Pause
Goalkeeper Coach	Aleksandar Sarić
Strength and Conditioning Coach	Jordan Webb
Manager of Team and Soccer Operations	Alex Boler
Equipment Manager	Brian Sauer
Assistant Equipment Manager	Juan Arreola
Head Athletic Trainer	Mario Cruz
Assistant Athletic Trainer	Steve Purcell
Massage Therapist	Jake Bronowski, LMT
Chief Medical Officer	Dr. Joshua Blomgren, D.O.
Head Orthopedic Officer	Dr. Brian Forsythe, M.D.
Physical Therapist	Ryan Perry

Last updated: October 23, 2016
Source: Chicago Fire Technical Staff

Standings

Eastern Conference table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
6	Philadelphia Union	34	11	14	9	52	55	−3	42	Knockout round
7	New England Revolution	34	11	14	9	44	54	−10	42
8	Orlando City SC	34	9	11	14	55	60	−5	41
9	Columbus Crew SC	34	8	14	12	50	58	−8	36
10	Chicago Fire	34	7	17	10	42	58	−16	31

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goals scored; 7) away goal differential; 8) home goals scored; 9) home goal differential; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots.

Overall table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification[lower-alpha 1]
16	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	34	10	15	9	45	52	−7	39
17	San Jose Earthquakes	34	8	12	14	32	40	−8	38
18	Columbus Crew SC	34	8	14	12	50	58	−8	36
19	Houston Dynamo	34	7	14	13	39	45	−6	34
20	Chicago Fire	34	7	17	10	42	58	−16	31

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) disciplinary points; 6) away goals scored; 7) away goal differential; 8) home goals scored; 9) home goal differential; 10) coin toss or drawing of lots
Notes:

1. CONCACAF Champions League
   Selection Procedure

   • Four US-based teams qualify for the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League:
     1. The winner of the MLS Cup 2016 (Seattle Sounders FC);
        
     2. The winner of the Supporters' Shield (FC Dallas);
        
     3. The regular season conference champion that did not win the Supporters Shield (New York Red Bulls);
        
     4. The winner of the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (FC Dallas; already qualified, so berth passes to Colorado Rapids)
        
     Should a team qualify through more than one method, or should a team from Canada occupy any MLS qualifying place, the next best US team in the overall table would take its place.
     One Canada-based team qualifies for the Champions League (NOTE: Canadian teams cannot qualify through MLS):
     1. The winner of the 2016 and 2017 Canadian Championship (Toronto FC)

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
34	31	7	17	10	42	58	−16	6	3	8	26	21	+5	1	14	2	16	37	−21

Last updated: October 23, 2016
Source: MLSsoccer.com standings
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Ground	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	A	H	H	A
Result	L	T	T	W	T	L	T	L	L	L	W	T	L	L	W	L	W	L	L	T	L	T	W	T	L	W	L	T	L	L	L	T	W	L

Updated to match(es) played on October 23, 2016. Source: MLS Results and Chicago Fire Schedule
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; L = Loss; T = Tie

Match results

  Win   Tie   Loss

Preseason

Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)

February 6, 2016	University of South Florida	0–3	Chicago Fire	Tampa, Florida
16:00	Michael Bajza  44'	Report	Arturo Alvarez  28' David Accam  33' Vincent Mitchell  52'	Stadium: Corbett Stadium

February 11, 2016	Chicago Fire	4–2	Philadelphia Union	Clearwater, Florida
15:00	David Accam  14' (pen.), 40' Nick LaBrocca  60' Gilberto  64'	Report	Fabian Herbers  16' Warren Creavalle  83'	Stadium: Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex

February 18, 2016	University of Portland	1–1	Chicago Fire	Portland, Oregon
	Eddie Sanchez  62'	Report	John Goossens  40' Drew Conner  58'	Stadium: Merlo Field

Simple™ Invitational

Pos	Team	GP	W	L	D	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Chicago Fire	3	3	0	0	9	2	+7	9
2	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	3	2	1	0	7	4	+3	6
3	Portland Timbers	3	1	2	0	4	4	0	3
4	Minnesota United FC	3	0	3	0	1	11	-10	0

February 21, 2016	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	2–3	Chicago Fire	Portland, Oregon
16:30	Johan Kappelhof  24' (o.g.) Deybi Flores  33' Cristian Techera  38' Kendall Waston  78'	Report	John Goossens  5' Gilberto  36',  51' (pen.) Kennedy Igboananike  81' (pen.) Collin Fernandez  86'	Stadium: Providence Park

Wed., February 24, 2016	Chicago Fire	4–0	Minnesota United FC	Portland, Oregon
19:00	Joey Calistri  24', 35' Matt Polster  42' Patrick Doody  55' Kingsley Bryce  62' Arturo Álvarez  89' (pen.)	Report	Damian Lowe  75'	Stadium: Providence Park

February 27, 2016	Portland Timbers	0–2	Chicago Fire	Portland, Oregon
19:00	Zarek Valentin  21' Jermaine Taylor  34' Diego Chará  56'	Report	João Meira  4' Arturo Álvarez  28' Gilberto  35' Matt Polster  81' Kennedy Igboananike  82'	Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 16,134

Major League Soccer

Kickoff times are in CDT (UTC-05), unless posted otherwise

March 6, 2016 Match 1	Chicago Fire	3–4	New York City FC	Bridgeview, Illinois
13:00 CST (UTC-06)	Răzvan Cociș  19' João Meira  32' Kennedy Igboananike  49' Matt Polster  62' David Accam  72' (pen.)	Report	Thomas McNamara  10' Frédéric Brillant  14' Tony Taylor  29',  59' Khiry Shelton  36' Mix Diskerud  63'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 17,768 Referee: Armando Villarreal

March 11, 2016 Match 2	Orlando City SC	1–1	Chicago Fire	Orlando, Florida
18:00 CST (UTC-06)	Cyle Larin  4' Cristian Higuita  62' Servando Carrasco  75' Brek Shea  90'	Report	David Accam  14',  83' Matt Polster  28' Michael Harrington  32' João Meira  71'	Stadium: Orlando Citrus Bowl Attendance: 29,041 Referee: Ted Unkel

March 19, 2016 Match 3	Chicago Fire	0–0	Columbus Crew SC	Bridgeview, Illinois
16:00		Report	Justin Meram  38'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 12,605 Referee: Robert Sibiga

April 2, 2016 Match 4	Chicago Fire	1–0	Philadelphia Union	Bridgeview, Illinois
16:00	Rodrigo Ramos  37' Kennedy Igboananike  51' Matt Polster  72'	Report	Warren Creavalle  13'  47'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 12,073 Referee: Silviu Petrescu

April 10, 2016 Match 5	New York City FC	0–0	Chicago Fire	New York City, New York
18:00	Rónald Matarrita  54'	Report	Nick LaBrocca  86'	Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 22,930 Referee: Mark Geiger

April 16, 2016 Match 6	Chicago Fire	1–2	Montreal Impact	Bridgeview, Illinois
16:00	Kennedy Igboananike  29'	Report	Didier Drogba  56' Ignacio Piatti  90+1'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 14,509 Referee: Kevin Stott

April 30, 2016 Match 7	Chicago Fire	1–1	D.C. United	Bridgeview, Illinois
16:00	Jonathan Campbell  41' Kennedy Igboananike  44'	Report	Chris Rolfe  45+1' Patrick Nyarko  64' Steve Birnbaum  83'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 13,114 Referee: Edvin Jurisevic

May 11, 2016 Match 8	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	2–1	Chicago Fire	Vancouver, British Columbia
21:00	Blas Pérez  36', 89' Kendall Waston  82'	Report	Kennedy Igboananike  62'	Stadium: BC Place Attendance: 19,638 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

May 14, 2016 Match 9	New England Revolution	2–0	Chicago Fire	Foxborough, Massachusetts
18:30	Lee Nguyen  22' Gershon Koffie  24' London Woodberry  57' Juan Agudelo  80' Femi Hollinger-Janzen  84'	Report	Arturo Álvarez  19'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 18,997 Referee: Jorge Gonzalez

May 18, 2016 Match 10	New York Red Bulls	1–0	Chicago Fire	Harrison, New Jersey
18:30	Aurélien Collin  29' Mike Grella  58'	Report	João Meira  22' Brandon Vincent  78'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 16,624 Referee: Robert Sibiga

May 21, 2016 Match 11	Chicago Fire	1–0	Houston Dynamo	Bridgeview, Illinois
16:00	Arturo Álvarez  3' Kennedy Igboananike  56' Matt Polster  76'	Report	David Horst  23'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 15,363 Referee: Allen Chapman

May 28, 2016 Match 12	Chicago Fire	1–1	Portland Timbers	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	David Accam  20' Johan Kappelhof  38' Rodrigo Ramos  77'	Report	Diego Valeri  18' Liam Ridgewell  69' Chris Klute  90+2'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 14,729 Referee: Mathieu Bourdeau

June 18, 2016 Match 13	Colorado Rapids	2–1	Chicago Fire	Commerce City, Colorado
20:00	Kevin Doyle  57' Marco Pappa  89' Marc Burch  90+4'	Report	Rodrigo Ramos  67' Joey Calistri  81'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 18,103 Referee: Juan Guzman

June 22, 2016 Match 14	Philadelphia Union	4–3	Chicago Fire	Chester, Pennsylvania
18:00	Jonathan Campbell  11' (o.g.) Roland Alberg  15', 45+1', 56' (pen.),  58' Brian Carroll  36' Ken Tribbett  37'	Report	David Accam  2' Răzvan Cociș  69' Khaly Thiam  80' Jonathan Campbell  85'	Stadium: Talen Energy Stadium Attendance: 16,667 Referee: Jaime Herrera

July 1, 2016 Match 15	Chicago Fire	1–0	San Jose Earthquakes	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Michael Stephens  53' John Goossens  58' Nick LaBrocca  90+3'	Report	Simon Dawkins  10' Shaun Francis  49' Fatai Alashe  66'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 16,487 Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero

July 9, 2016 Match 16	Toronto FC	1–0	Chicago Fire	Toronto, Ontario
18:30	Justin Morrow  9'	Report		Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 27,934 Referee: Silviu Petrescu

July 13, 2016 Match 17	Chicago Fire	1–0	Sporting Kansas City	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	Michael de Leeuw  19' Khaly Thiam  26' Arturo Álvarez  68' João Meira  79'	Report	Soni Mustivar  29' Dom Dwyer  71' Jimmy Medranda  85'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 13,879 Referee: Nima Saghafi
Note: The kickoff was delayed by 1 hour and 48 minutes due to a thunderstorm.

July 16, 2016 Match 18	FC Dallas	3–1	Chicago Fire	Frisco, Texas
20:00	Maximiliano Urruti  23' Mauro Díaz  41' Mauro Rosales  90+2'	Report	Arturo Álvarez  90+1'	Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 13,942 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

July 23, 2016 Match 19	New England Revolution	1–0	Chicago Fire	Foxborough, Massachusetts
18:30	Teal Bunbury  77' Je-Vaughn Watson  85'	Report	Michael de Leeuw  30' David Accam  90+1'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 21,872 Referee: Juan Guzman

July 31, 2016 Match 20	Chicago Fire	2–2	New York Red Bulls	Bridgeview, Illinois
18:00	David Accam  35' Khaly Thiam  38' Matt Polster  45+2' Răzvan Cociș  76'	Report	Felipe  15' Matt Polster  16' (o.g.) Mike Grella  57' Bradley Wright-Phillips  90' Ronald Zubar  90+2'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 17,221 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

August 6, 2016 Match 21	Real Salt Lake	3–1	Chicago Fire	Sandy, Utah
21:00	Olmes García  14',  15' Javier Morales  28' (pen.), 64'	Report	Nick LaBrocca  35' Arturo Álvarez  58'	Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium Attendance: 19,909 Referee: Silviu Petrescu

August 14, 2016 Match 22	Chicago Fire	2–2	Orlando City SC	Bridgeview, Illinois
15:00	John Goossens  6' David Accam  45+2' Răzvan Cociș  78'	Report	Cyle Larin  9' Tommy Redding  17' Kaká  32' José Aja  86'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 18,148 Referee: Mark Geiger

August 20, 2016 Match 23	Montreal Impact	0–3	Chicago Fire	Montreal, Quebec
19:30	Laurent Ciman  44' Didier Drogba  71'	Report	Luis Solignac  15',  31' David Accam  73' Matt Polster  89'	Stadium: Saputo Stadium Attendance: 20,801 Referee: David Gantar

August 24, 2016 Match 24	Chicago Fire	2–2	LA Galaxy	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	Arturo Álvarez  34' David Accam  39' (pen.),  90+3'	Report	Gyasi Zardes  31' Jelle Van Damme  38' Giovani dos Santos  69' Sebastian Lletget  71' Baggio Hušidić  76'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 16,179 Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero

August 27, 2016 Match 25	D.C. United	6–2	Chicago Fire	Washington, D.C.
18:00	Jared Jeffrey  19' Patrick Mullins  40', 45+1', 74' Patrick Nyarko  51' Nick DeLeon  89'	Report	Michael de Leeuw  31',  47' Khaly Thiam  34' Johan Kappelhof  36' Răzvan Cociș  45+2'	Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 15,720 Referee: Drew Fischer

September 3, 2016 Match 26	Chicago Fire	3–0	Philadelphia Union	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	Roland Alberg  22' (o.g.) João Meira  58' Răzvan Cociș  61' Johan Kappelhof  64' Michael de Leeuw  71' Arturo Álvarez  90'	Report		Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 16,102 Referee: Ted Unkel

September 10, 2016 Match 27	Chicago Fire	1–2	Toronto FC	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	Michael de Leeuw  58'	Report	Jozy Altidore  33' Jonathan Osorio  52'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 18,391 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

September 16, 2016 Match 28	Chicago Fire	2–2	D.C. United	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:00	Răzvan Cociș  22' David Accam  29'	Report	Rob Vincent  19' Bobby Boswell  90+2'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 13,807 Referee: Kevin Stott

September 23, 2016 Match 29	New York City FC	4–1	Chicago Fire	New York City, New York
19:00	Jefferson Mena  8' David Villa  9', 83' Stiven Mendoza  44' Frédéric Brillant  72'	Report	Luis Solignac  35'	Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 25,011 Referee: Jaime Herrera

Wed., September 28, 2016 Match 30	Seattle Sounders FC	1–0	Chicago Fire	Seattle, Washington
21:30	Chad Marshall  24' Nicolás Lodeiro  58'	Report	Răzvan Cociș  75'	Stadium: CenturyLink Field Attendance: 39,269 Referee: Hilario Grajeda

October 1, 2016 Match 31	Columbus Crew SC	3–0	Chicago Fire	Columbus, Ohio
18:30	Harrison Afful  8' Justin Meram  50' Dilly Duka  59'	Report	Rodrigo Ramos  88'	Stadium: Mapfre Stadium Attendance: 20,034 Referee: Alejandro Mariscal

October 13, 2016 Match 32	Chicago Fire	2–2	Columbus Crew SC	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	Michael Parkhurst  53' (o.g.) Michael de Leeuw  57' Răzvan Cociș  80' João Meira  85'	Report	Adam Jahn  13', 80'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 15,883 Referee: David Gantar

October 16, 2016 Match 33	Chicago Fire	2–1	New England Revolution	Bridgeview, Illinois
14:00	Michael de Leeuw  9' Khaly Thiam  44' Luis Solignac  54' David Accam  80' Matt Polster  90+2'	Report	Kei Kamara  29' Diego Fagúndez  43' London Woodberry  51' Brad Knighton  73'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 18,976 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

October 23, 2016 Match 34	Toronto FC	3–2	Chicago Fire	Toronto, Ontario
15:00	Sebastian Giovinco  45' (pen.) Eriq Zavaleta  45+2' Justin Morrow  54' Jonathan Osorio  62'	Report	Michael de Leeuw  18' John Goossens  83'	Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 25,235 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

U.S. Open Cup

The Chicago Fire entered the 2016 U.S. Open Cup with the rest of Major League Soccer in the fourth round.[50]
Kickoff times are in CDT (UTC-05)

June 15, 2016 Fourth Round	Chicago Fire	1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p)	Indy Eleven	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	Nick LaBrocca  87' David Accam  111'	Report	Justin Braun  27',  105' Nicki Paterson  72' Souleymane Youla  90+2' Nemanja Vuković  117'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 5,543 Referee: Elvis Mahmutovic
	Penalties
	Igboananike Thiam Vincent LaBrocca Accam		Paterson Zayed Vuković Keller Ubiparipović

June 28, 2016 Round of 16	Chicago Fire	2–1	Columbus Crew SC	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	David Accam  7', 29' Nick LaBrocca  53' Rodrigo Ramos  66'	CHI Report MLS Report	Ethan Finlay  79' (pen.) Tyson Wahl  90'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 6,190 Referee: Nima Saghafi

July 20, 2016 Quarterfinals	Chicago Fire	3–0	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	Bridgeview, Illinois
19:30	David Accam  5' (pen.) Michael de Leeuw  35' Khaly Thiam  51'	Report	Gale Agbossoumonde  30'  70' Julius James  47'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 3,666 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

August 9, 2016 Semifinals	New England Revolution	3–1	Chicago Fire	Foxborough, Massachusetts
19:00	Kei Kamara  16' (pen.) Je-Vaughn Watson  42',  51' Teal Bunbury  85' Kelyn Rowe  89'	Report	David Accam  40',  89' Johan Kappelhof  43' Michael de Leeuw  90+1'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 9,801 Referee: Edvin Jurisevic

Stats

Leading scorers

MLS Regular Season Rank Scorer Goals Assists 1 David Accam 9 5 2 Michael de Leeuw 7 3 3 Arturo Álvarez 5 9 4 Răzvan Cociș 5 2 5 Kennedy Igboananike 4 1 6 John Goossens 3 4 7 Matt Polster 2 2 8 Luis Solignac 2 0 9 Joey Calistri 1 1 Jonathan Campbell 1 1 11 Khaly Thiam 1 0 12 Rodrigo Ramos 0 3 Brandon Vincent 0 3 13 Gilberto 0 2 Michael Stephens 0 2 16 Michael Harrington 0 1 Nick LaBrocca 0 1 João Meira 0 1

U.S. Open Cup Rank Scorer Goals Assists 1 David Accam 5 1 2 Michael de Leeuw 1 1 3 Khaly Thiam 1 0 4 John Goossens 0 1 Rodrigo Ramos 0 1 Nick LaBrocca 0 1

All Competitions Rank Scorer Goals Assists 1 David Accam 14 5 2 Arturo Álvarez 5 5 3 Michael de Leeuw 4 4 4 Kennedy Igboananike 4 1 Răzvan Cociș 4 1 6 John Goossens 2 4 7 Matt Polster 2 1 8 Khaly Thiam 2 0 9 Joey Calistri 1 1 10 Jonathan Campbell 1 0 Luis Solignac 1 0 12 Rodrigo Ramos 0 4 13 Gilberto 0 2 Michael Stephens 0 2 Nick LaBrocca 0 2 Brandon Vincent 0 2 17 João Meira 0 1 Michael Harrington 0 1

Italics indicate player who departed the club during the season.
Updated to match played on October 23, 2016.
Source: MLSsoccer.com statistics - 2016 Chicago Fire

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS Regular season		MLS Cup Playoffs		U.S. Open Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
2	MF		Matt Polster	17	1	12+2	1	0+0	0	2+1	0
3	DF		Brandon Vincent	18	0	13+1	0	0+0	0	3+1	0
4	DF		Johan Kappelhof	25	0	19+2	0	0+0	0	3+1	0
5	DF		Michael Harrington	16	0	14+1	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
6	DF		Eric Gehrig	6	0	2+2	0	0+0	0	1+1	0
7	MF		John Goossens	15	1	8+5	1	0+0	0	2+0	0
8	MF		Michael de Leeuw	8	1	5+1	0	0+0	0	2+0	1
9	FW		Luis Solignac	1	0	1+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
11	FW		David Accam	17	10	12+1	5	0+0	0	4+0	5
12	MF		Arturo Álvarez	21	3	15+3	3	0+0	0	3+0	0
13	DF		Rodrigo Ramos (on loan from Coritiba)	22	0	14+4	0	0+0	0	4+0	0
15	FW		Joey Calistri	13	1	2+8	1	0+0	0	0+3	0
16	DF		Jonathan Campbell	24	1	18+2	1	0+0	0	4+0	0
18	MF		Drew Conner	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
19	MF		Khaly Thiam (on loan from MTK Budapest)	14	2	9+2	1	0+0	0	3+0	1
21	MF		Nick LaBrocca	15	0	5+7	0	0+0	0	1+2	0
22	DF		Patrick Doody	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
26	MF		Michael Stephens	15	0	11+2	0	0+0	0	1+1	0
30	MF		Răzvan Cociș	23	2	10+9	2	0+0	0	4+0	0
66	DF		João Meira	17	0	14+2	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
Players currently out on loan with another club: (Statistics shown are the appearances made and goals scored while at Chicago Fire)
17	MF		Collin Fernandez (on loan to Saint Louis FC)	2	0	0+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
29	FW		Alex Morrell (on loan to Saint Louis FC)	4	0	0+4	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
Players who left the club during the season: (Statistics shown are the appearances made and goals scored while at Chicago Fire)
9	FW		Gilberto (mutually terminated contract)	9	0	8+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
77	FW		Kennedy Igboananike (traded)	21	4	18+0	4	0+0	0	2+1	0

Goalkeeper stats

No.	Nat	Player	Total						Major League Soccer						U.S. Open Cup
			GS	GP	MIN	GA	GAA	W	GS	GP	MIN	GA	GAA	W	GS	GP	MIN	GA	GAA	W
23		Patrick McLain	0	0	0	0	0.00	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0	0	0	0	0	0.00	0
25		Sean Johnson	22	22	1980	37	1.68	6	22	22	1980	37	1.68	6	0	0	0	0	0.00	0
28		Matt Lampson	15	15	1380	22	1.43	4	11	11	990	18	1.64	1	4	4	390	4	0.92	3

Source: Chicago Fire goalkeeper stats

National team participation

Four Fire players have been called up to play for their senior national teams during this season.

Players	Team	Competition	Opponent	Date	Goals	Minutes	Ref
Brandon Vincent	United States	Friendly	Canada	February 5, 2016	0	45'	[51][52]
Matt Polster	United States	Friendly	Canada	February 5, 2016	0	unused sub	[51][52]
David Accam	Ghana	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification	Mozambique	March 24, 2016	0	0' (injury)	[53]
David Accam	Ghana	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification	Mozambique	March 27, 2016	0	0' (injury)	[53]
David Arshakyan	Armenia	Friendly	Czech Republic	August 31, 2016	0	unused sub	[54][55]
David Accam	Ghana	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification	Rwanda	September 3, 2016	0	Earned a start	[54][56]
David Arshakyan	Armenia	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification	Denmark	September 4, 2016	0	70'	[54][56][57]
David Accam	Ghana	Friendly	Russia	September 6, 2016	0	12'	[54][58]

Recognition

MLS Goal of the Week

Week	Player	Report
24	Luis Solignac	GOTW

MLS Team of the Week

Week	Player	Position	Report
5	Johan Kappelhof	D	Report
17	Rodrigo Ramos	D	Report
24	David Accam	F	Report
26	Sean Johnson	GK	Report
	João Meira	D
	Michael de Leeuw	F

MLS All-Star Game

Position	Player	Report
Defender	Brandon Vincent	Report

MLS 24 under 24

Chicago Fire midfielder Matt Polster was selected to Major League Soccer's "24 under 24" list, an annual ranking of the top players in the league under the age of 24.[59][60]

Team annual awards

Forward/midfielder David Accam was named the team's Most Valuable Player and Golden Boot winner for the second year in a row in both categories. In 24 league matches Accam scored nine goals and had five assists. Accam also had team-high 14 goals across all competitions of the season.[61]

In his first year with the club Johan Kappelhof was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Tied with Jonathan Campbell for a team-high 33 league appearances, Kappelhof made 85 clearances, 17 blocks and 113 interceptions during his first MLS campaign.[61]

Goalkeeper Sean Johnson was chosen Section 8 Chicago Supporters' Player of the Year.[62][63]

Kits

Home

Away

Type	Shirt	Shorts	Socks	First appearance / Info
Home	Red	Red	Red	[64][65]
Away	White	White	White	[66][67]

Primary kit

The new primary kit for 2016 season was officially unveiled on January 25, 2016. The jersey features an all-red design with the return of the iconic white bar across the chest. The Chicago city flag embossed on the lower front for the jersey's jock tag.[64][65]

Secondary kit

According to the league's bi-annual rotation of kits the secondary kit carried over from the previous season. It was originally unveiled on March 2, 2015. The design and details were inspired by the City of Chicago flag.[66][67]

Draft pick trades

Picks acquired:

• 2016 MLS SuperDraft second round pick from D.C. United in exchange for forward Patrick Nyarko.[68]
• 2016 MLS SuperDraft third round pick from New York Red Bulls in exchange for goalkeeper Kyle Reynish.[69]
• 2017 MLS SuperDraft natural first round pick from Philadelphia Union in exchange for the top spot in the MLS Allocation Ranking Order.[70]
• 2019 MLS SuperDraft natural third round pick from D.C. United in exchange for forward Kennedy Igboananike.[71][72]

Picks traded:

• 2016 MLS SuperDraft conditional pick to Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for Greg Cochrane.[73]
• 2016 MLS SuperDraft natural second round pick to Orlando City SC in exchange for Eric Gehrig.[74][75]
• 2017 MLS SuperDraft natural second round pick to Columbus Crew SC in exchange for the Discovery Priority on Khaly Thiam (however, pursuant to the trade agreement, if Thiam starts in 12 or more 2016 MLS regular season games, or if his loan is extended or successfully converted into a transfer following the 2016 season, Columbus will receive General Allocation Money instead of the SuperDraft pick).[49]

References

1. "Chicago Fire Soccer Club Hires Veljko Paunovic as Head Coach". chicago-fire.com. November 24, 2015.
2. "Vancouver Whitecaps 2, Chicago Fire 1 - Match Recap". mlssoccer.com. May 11, 2016.
3. "Chicago Fire road victory "feels like something came off our shoulders"". August 20, 2016.
4. "Toronto FC 3 Fire 2 - recap and ratings". Chicago Fire Confidential. October 24, 2016.
5. "Chicago Fire Soccer Club Exercises Options on Four Players". chicago-fire.com. November 30, 2015.
6. "Chicago Fire Soccer Club Signs Calistri, Conner as Homegrown Players". chicago-fire.com. December 17, 2015.
7. "Fire draft day wrap: Jones, No. 1 pick traded for 3 rookies, allocation money". csnchicago.com. January 14, 2016.
8. "Chicago Fire Sign Michael Harrington and Patrick McLain". chicago-fire.com. January 18, 2016.
9. "Chicago Fire Add Two Players to 2016 Roster". chicago-fire.com. January 23, 2016.
10. "Chicago Fire Sign Midfielder Nick LaBrocca". chicago-fire.com. January 27, 2016.
11. "Chicago Fire Sign Dutch Defender Johan Kappelhof". chicago-fire.com. February 2, 2016.
12. "Report: FC Groningen defender Johan Kappelhof signs with Chicago Fire". mlssoccer.com. January 29, 2016.
13. "Chicago Fire Weekly Update: February 1". chicago-fire.com. February 1, 2016.
14. "Chicago Fire Sign Goalkeeper Matt Lampson". chicago-fire.com.com. February 26, 2016.
15. "Fire Face Union in First MLS Action of 2016 Preseason". chicago-fire.com. February 11, 2016.
16. "Chicago Fire Sign Midfielder John Goossens". chicago-fire.com. February 29, 2016.
17. "Chicago Fire Sign Midfielder Arturo Alvarez". chicago-fire.com. March 3, 2016.
18. "Morrell Speeds Onto the Scene at Chicago Fire Preseason". chicago-fire.com. January 31, 2016.
19. "Chicago Fire Sign 2016 MLS SuperDraft Pick Alex Morrell". chicago-fire.com. March 11, 2016.
20. "Chicago Fire Acquire Dutch Forward Michael de Leeuw". chicago-fire.com. May 17, 2016.
21. "Chicago Fire Acquire Armenian International David Arshakyan". chicago-fire.com. August 3, 2016.
22. "Chicago Fire Acquire Forward Luis Solignac from Colorado Rapids". chicago-fire.com. August 3, 2016.
23. "Miami FC inks veteran defender Adailton". nasl.com. February 9, 2016.
24. "Busch brings his vast experience to Eleven". indyeleven.com. January 22, 2016.
25. "San Antonio FC signs Greg Cochrane and Manolo Sanchez". sanantoniofc.com. February 25, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
26. "San Antonio FC signs striker Jason Johnson". sanantoniofc.com. February 16, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
27. "FC Dallas select Maximiliano Urruti with No. 1 pick in Re-Entry Draft". mlssoccer.com. December 12, 2015.
28. "LA Galaxy announce signing of MLS veteran Jeff Larentowicz". January 6, 2016.
29. "Indy Eleven Adds Jamaican International Lovel Palmer to Backline". indyeleven.com. January 12, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
30. "LA Galaxy sign forward Mike Magee". lagalaxy.com. January 14, 2016.
31. "Former RailHawks standout Matt Watson returns to the team". carolinarailhawks.com. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
32. "Chicago Fire Trade Patrick Nyarko to D.C. United". January 6, 2016.
33. "Official: Seattle Sounders acquire Trinidad and Tobago international Joevin Jones in exchange for MLS SuperDraft pick". January 14, 2016.
34. "Chicago Fire Trade Shipp to Montreal for General, Targeted Allocation Money". chicago-fire.com. February 13, 2016.
35. "Chicago Fire trade Harry Shipp to Montreal Impact". mlssoccer.com. February 13, 2016.
36. "Chicago Fire Weekly Update -- Monday, Feb. 29". chicago-fire.com. February 29, 2016.
37. "Chicago Fire Waive Kingsley Bryce". chicago-fire.com. March 2, 2016.
38. "Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Gilberto Mutually Terminate Contract". chicago-fire.com. June 29, 2016.
39. "Gilberto assina até 2017 e já treina no CT". saopaulofc.net. July 15, 2016.
40. "Chicago Fire Acquire Targeted Allocation Money and 2019 MLS SuperDraft Selection from D.C. United in Exchange for Kennedy Igboananike". chicago-fire.com. July 29, 2016.
41. "Chicago Fire select Wake Forest midfielder Jack Harrison first in 2016 MLS SuperDraft, trade him to New York City Fc". January 14, 2016.
42. "Chicago Fire Add to 2016 SuperDraft Class in Third and Fourth Rounds". chicago-fire.com. January 19, 2016.
43. "Chicago Fire Enter Final Stage of 2016 Preseason Training Camp". chicago-fire.com. February 16, 2016.
44. "Chicago Fire Weekly Update: February 1". chicago-fire.com. February 1, 2016.
45. "Chicago Fire Announce Goalkeeper Zach Bennett as Winner of Eighth Annual Open Tryout". chicago-fire.com. January 21, 2016.
46. "Paunovic runs high energy training session at Media Day". hottimeinoldtown.com. January 25, 2016.
47. "Mauricio Pineda Taking Advantage of First Team Training Stint". chicago-fire.com. February 1, 2016.
48. "Chicago Fire Acquire Brazilian U-20 Defender Rodrigo Ramos on Loan". chicago-fire.com. February 3, 2016.
49. "Chicago Fire Acquire Senegalese Midfielder Khaly Thiam". chicago-fire.com. May 4, 2016.
50. "102nd U.S. Open Cup Unveils Format, Record Number of Teams". ussoccer.com.
51. "Brandon Vincent Debuts for U.S. Men's National Team". chicago-fire.com. February 6, 2016.
52. "Altidore Scores Late Winner to Lift USA Past Canada in Second Game of 2016". ussoccer.com. February 6, 2016.
53. "David Accam Named to Ghana Squad for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying Matches". chicago-fire.com. March 16, 2016.
54. "MLS international call-ups for September FIFA window". mlssoccer.com. August 29, 2016.
55. "Czech Republic 3-0 Armenia". August 31, 2016.
56. "International Roundup: How MLSers are faring in September FIFA window". mlssoccer.com. September 4, 2016.
57. "Denmark 1-0 Armenia". fifa.com. September 4, 2016.
58. "Russia 1-0 Ghana". September 6, 2016.
59. "Polster named to MLS "24 Under 24" list". chicago-fire.com. September 19, 2016.
60. "Matt Polster — 24 Under 24". mlssoccer.com. September 19, 2016.
61. "Chicago Fire Announce 2016 Team Award Winners". chicago-fire.com. October 24, 2016.
62. "We are pleased to announce that @sjohn25 has been voted as your Supporters' Player of the Year". November 4, 2016.
63. "Sean Johnson accepts Section 8 Chicago's Player of the Year Award". November 20, 2016.
64. "2016 Chicago Fire Primary Kit Unveiled". chicago-fire.com. January 25, 2016.
65. "Chicago Fire release new primary jersey for 2016". chicago-fire.com. January 25, 2016.
66. "Jersey Week 2015: Chicago Fire honor club's home city with unveiling of new secondary jersey". mlssoccer.com. March 2, 2015.
67. "Chicago Fire Unveil Chicago-Inspired Secondary Kit". chicago-fire.com. March 2, 2015.
68. "Reports: DC United set to acquire Chicago Fire veteran Patrick Nyarko in exchange for draft pick". January 6, 2016.
69. "New York Red Bulls acquire 'keeper Kyle Reynish from Chicago Fire in exchange for 2016 SuperDraft pick". mlssoccer.com. January 20, 2015.
70. "Chicago Fire Announce Trade with Philadelphia Union". chicago-fire.com. August 3, 2016.
71. "DC United acquire Kennedy Igboananike via trade from Chicago Fire". mlssoccer.com. July 29, 2016.
72. "Chicago Fire Acquire Targeted Allocation Money and 2019 MLS SuperDraft Selection from D.C. United in Exchange for Kennedy Igboananike". chicago-fire.com. July 29, 2016.
73. "Chicago Fire Soccer Club Acquires Defender Greg Cochrane". chicago-fire.com. March 3, 2014.
74. "Chicago Fire Acquire Right of First Refusal for Defender Eric Gehrig from Orlando City SC". chicago-fire.com. December 10, 2014.
75. "Chicago Fire Sign Defender Eric Gehrig". chicago-fire.com. December 16, 2014.

External links

• Official website