The Chicago Fire Football Club was founded on October 8, 1997, on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. The Fire have won six major domestic championship titles, including the 1998 MLS Cup, the 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups, as well as the 2003 MLS Supporters’ Shield. The Club’s charitable arm, the Chicago Fire Foundation, was recognized as ESPN’s 2019 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year. The Fire plays their home matches at historic Soldier Field.
For more information, visit chicagofirefc.com
Game Schedule On-Air
- 2/28 home opener v CF Montreal
- 3/7 @ Columbus Crew
- 4/11 v Atlanta United
- 4/25 v Sporting Kansas City
- 5/2 v FC Cincinnati
- 5/9 v New York Red Bulls
- 5/23 v Toronto FC
- 7/16 v Vancouver Whitecaps
- 7/22 @ Inter Miami
- 8/1 v Charlotte
- 8/16 v Portland Timbers
- 8/22 @ New York Red Bulls
- 9/9 v Inter Miami
- 10/14 v Philadelphia Union
- 10/28 v Orlando
Broadcast Team
Max Anderson
Max Anderson returns to the broadcast booth for 2026, this time as primary play-by-play announcer for Chicago Fire FC matches on WLS-AM 890. Anderson joined the team as a commentator for select matches in 2023, when the Club and WLS-AM announced a multi-year partnership to deliver local English-language radio broadcasts. He is a long-time and trusted voice of the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois, providing play-by-play coverage for the Illinois High School Hockey State championships and collegiately for Men’s soccer, Baseball and Women’s softball for The University of Illinois - Chicago. Anderson's versatility as a broadcaster includes a decade of experience broadcasting football and basketball around the Chicago area.
Joe Chatz
Joe Chatz will serve as the lead analyst and color commentator for Chicago Fire radio broadcasts in 2026. Chatz has covered soccer as a reporter for five years, primarily covering the sport in Chicago as a writer at On Tap Sports Net and an MLS and NWSL award voter. He has extensive broadcast experience going back to his time at Kenyon College in Ohio and has most recently been on broadcasts for local college soccer and DePaul Hockey.
Rudy Hodgson
Rudy Hodgson will call select Fire matches as a play-by-play announcer in 2026. Hodgson returns to Chicago after serving as Chicago Fire FC’s Apple TV Digital Host from 2022 to 2024. He is currently the television/radio voice of the Cincinnati Cyclones, an affiliate of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. The versatile announcer brings a wealth of experience, having called men’s and women’s college sports on ESPN+, Big Ten+, and the ACC NetworkX.
A native of Los Angeles, Hodgson attended DePaul University, where he honed his craft as general manager of award-winning Radio DePaul Sports. Shortly before completing his degree in 2022, he was recognized with an Intercollegiate Broadcasting Systems award for Best Play-by-Play Announcer. He has worked in a variety of roles with FOX Sports, Marquee Sports Network, and more since the start of his broadcasting career.
