We recap the Fire, Red Stars, and House AC and see if any of the three can score goals this weekend. Plus, the Fire take their marketing in-house.
FIRE: You know the drill by now. The Fire had lots of shots, lots of possession, and played well enough to get a result. However, they do everything except score and then a singular mistake defensively leads to yet another loss. That’s 19 winless on the road for the Fire and 0-7-1 this season away from Soldier Field. The Fire need to win some games on this six-match road trip to have even a shot at the playoffs. Otherwise, it will be yet another long offseason that all but demands an overhaul to the on-field product.
RED STARS: The Red Stars went into squad rotation mode after losing on penalties to Racing Louisville last Wednesday. The starting XI did well, but they are now a team in need of goals and results. Lost in the shuffle is that the Red Stars have the second most charitable defense (22 conceded) to Kansas City (24). As much as their relative lack of goal-scoring prowess has been noted, the defense needs to shore up and hopefully Julie Ertz’s return on that end will help.
After last weekend’s results, the Red Stars are seventh and out of the playoffs places on goal difference (and head-to-head) against Orlando and Gotham FC. A win on Saturday against bottom-side Kansas City is a must to finish top six.
CHICAGO HOUSE AC: A forgettable home debut for Chicago House AC after a 4-0 defeat to New Amsterdam FC at SeatGeek Stadium. We in Chicago are going to keep our eye on this club to see how they fare this season as they try to get their brand across in the Chicago soccer landscape and maybe bring some smiles. Hopefully, they will come next Sunday against Detroit City FC.
FIRE TAKE MARKETING IN-HOUSE: On Monday, Chicago Fire FC announced the formation of an in-house marketing agency called “Second Star Creative” named for the second star on the City of Chicago flag which represents the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the city’s recovery.
The integrated marketing agency, believed to be the first of its kind in Major League Soccer, will provide a breadth of consultation and services in the areas of social media, graphic design, motion graphics, paid media, events, media relations as well as brand strategy and positioning.
Senior VP of Marketing Kyle Sheldon will lead the agency.
“Our team loves two things: Soccer and Chicago. And we’re uniquely positioned to help brands connect to the millions of soccer fans in Chicago who love the Fire as well as the game abroad,” said Sheldon. “With the 2026 World Cup taking place in North America, there’s no better time for companies to build out their soccer strategy. We stand ready to help brands capture the hearts and minds of those who love and celebrate the world’s most popular sport.”
According to the press release, the Club has seen ‘significant growth in the content and social media space’, where the team has gone from four full-time employees in 2018 to ten content and creative specialists today. They are also looking to add three more people in the form of a manager of social media, video and creative services producer, and senior graphic designer.
