📊 Recent Form
Chicago Fire
Philadelphia Union
🧭 How the Model Sees It
Nothing here clears 40%. Chicago Fire edge it at 39% against 27% for the draw and 34% the other way — the inputs point in different directions and the engine is not claiming to know. That is published rather than dressed up.
Note that the projected scoreline of 1–2 points to Philadelphia Union while the probabilities favour Chicago Fire. Those answer different questions. A home win is spread across 1–0, 2–0, 2–1 and more, so no single home scoreline need be the most likely result on the board even when home is the most likely outcome. The engine publishes the modal scoreline and the outcome probabilities side by side rather than forcing them to agree.
Across 9 bookmakers the consensus lands within 1 points of our own on this outcome. Where the model and the market agree, expect the market’s accuracy rather than ours — agreement is not evidence that we are right, only that we are not saying anything unusual.
The projection totals 3 goals. That clears the 2.5 line, and it is roughly what an average football match produces — the model is not expecting anything unusual in either direction.
Confidence is filed as medium at 56/99. That tier is set from the shape of the probability distribution, not from how the fixture feels, and it is published before kick-off and graded against the result afterwards — right or wrong, it stays on the page.
📝 Match Recap
Philadelphia Union dominated a Chicago Fire side reduced to ten men, running out 3-1 winners in a result that our model had leaned toward but ultimately undershot on the scoreline. We'd predicted a 1-2 Union victory with 34 percent win probability — the correct outcome, though not the exact margin.
The match turned decisively in the opening minutes of the second half. Fire got ahead through Haile-Selassie's assist from Noah Allen in the 44th minute, but a red card for Elliott at the stroke of halftime shifted the entire complexion. Union equalized immediately after the restart through Iloski, who benefited from Damiani's assist, then Damiani himself struck twice — first from a Cavan Sullivan pass in the 55th minute, then again in the 67th with Jovan Lukic setting him up. It was a ruthless performance from the visitors, who capitalized on their numerical advantage to dismantle a Fire outfit already stretched by injury and form issues heading into the weekend.
Before kickoff, our model had spotted Union's recent red-hot form and Chicago's defensive fragility at home, flagging a competitive but ultimately Union-favoring contest. That broad shape held — the visitors won decisively and both teams did score — but the 3-1 scoreline tells you how completely Fire's situation unraveled once they went down to ten. The red card compressed what might've stayed tight into a rout.
💰 Finding the Value
Our model probability vs the consensus across 9 bookmakers. Positive edge means we think this outcome is more likely than the market implies.
| Selection | Odds | Market % | Model % | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Fire Win | 11/8 2.40 | 39% | 39% | ±0% |
| Draw | 11/4 3.86 | 25% | 27% | +2% |
| Philadelphia Union Win | 6/4 2.53 | 36% | 34% | -2% |
View pre-match analysis What we said before kickoff
🔍 Key Stats
Form: Chicago Fire inconsistent at home (WWLD), limited to 1.85 avg goals scored and missing key personnel; Philadelphia Union in red-hot form with 10-game streak producing 3.58 avg goals scored.
H2H: 3.8 avg goals per meeting over last 8 — high-scoring fixture historically; Union have won 3 of last 5 meetings with Chicago scoring just once in two home games vs Philadelphia.
Stakes: Mid-to-late regular season MLS positioning — Union will be motivated to lock in playoff seeding; Chicago's injury list reduces their competitive ceiling significantly.
Betting: both teams to score, over 2.5 goals — in line with the projected 1-2.
⚔️ Head to Head
H2H heavily shapes this prediction — 3.8 avg goals per meeting signals an open fixture, and Union have dominated recent encounters at Chicago (0-3 Nov 2025, 0-1 Jun 2025), making a 1-2 result highly plausible.
🎲 Betting Tips
Both Teams to Score: Yes
The projected 1-2 scoreline has both teams finding the net.
Over 2.5 Goals: Yes
The projected 1-2 scoreline totals 3 goals, clearing the 2.5 line.