Fire Open 2026 in Houston: Mbokazi, Depth, and a Statement
The wait is over. After a 2025 campaign that saw the Chicago Fire return to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017, Gregg Berhalter’s squad opens the 2026 season with a trip to Shell Energy Stadium to face a rebuilt Houston Dynamo side. Saturday’s kickoff (7:30 p.m. CT, MLS Season Pass) marks the earliest season opener in Chicago Fire history — and with new faces, missing starters, and a point to prove, there’s plenty to unpack before the whistle blows.
Mbokazi Arrives on the Big Stage
The headliner among Chicago’s offseason additions is Mbekezeli Mbokazi, the 20-year-old South African center back acquired from Orlando Pirates on a U22 Initiative deal reportedly worth around $3 million. Known as “TLB” back home, Mbokazi arrives in MLS having already gone toe-to-toe with some of the best attackers on the planet — he started all four of South Africa’s matches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, squaring off against the likes of Mohamed Salah, Bryan Mbeumo, and Omar Marmoush in Bafana Bafana’s run to the Round of 16.
The transfer drew public criticism from South Africa head coach Hugo Broos, who questioned whether Mbokazi should have gone to Europe instead. Mbokazi handled the scrutiny with poise, delivering solid performances at AFCON and telling reporters simply: “I deserve to be here.”
And here’s the part that should have Chicago fans most excited — Mbokazi’s summer gets even bigger. South Africa qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a dominant 3-0 win over Rwanda, ending a 16-year drought. Bafana Bafana will play on the world stage in the United States, Canada, and Mexico this summer, and Mbokazi figures to be a key part of the squad. A Fire defender representing his country at a World Cup held partly on American soil? That’s the kind of storyline this franchise hasn’t had in years.
Berhalter Built This Roster for Days Like Tomorrow
If there’s one thing Gregg Berhalter stressed throughout the offseason, it’s depth. And the 2026 opener is going to test it immediately.
Left back Andrew Gutman has been ruled out with a calf injury sustained during preseason, and his backup Viktor Radojević remains weeks away from selection. More concerning, leading scorer Hugo Cuypers is a game-time decision after a concussion picked up in preseason. Jonathan Bamba is also listed as a game-time decision.
A year ago, those absences might have been cause for panic. This year, Berhalter has options.
The offseason additions of Robin Lod — a seven-year MLS veteran who racked up 41 goals and 28 assists across 185 appearances at Minnesota United — and Anton Salétros give the midfield and attack genuine flexibility. Lod is particularly intriguing for this match: he leads the current Fire roster in career goals against Houston (five), tied for third among active MLS players. His debut in a Fire shirt couldn’t come at a better venue.
Jason Shokalook, who won the MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot with 20 goals in 22 games for Fire II last season, provides another attacking option off the bench. And goalkeeper Josh Cohen gives the Fire a capable backup behind Chris Brady after the club declined Bryan Dowd’s option. This is a squad built to absorb absences without dropping its standards.
D’Avilla and Barroso: Year Two Is Where It Gets Interesting
Two of the most exciting developmental arcs on this roster belong to Djé D’Avilla and Leonardo Barroso, both entering their second full MLS seasons with something to prove.
D’Avilla, the 22-year-old Ivorian midfielder signed from Portugal’s UD Leiria for nearly $5 million — beating out interest from Brighton and Leeds United — took time to adjust to MLS’s pace in 2025. But by the second half of the season, the 6’3” holding midfielder was showing exactly why Berhalter’s front office fought so hard to land him. Expected to anchor the midfield as the deep-lying pivot in 2026, D’Avilla told MIR97 Media that Berhalter has been “very passionate” about his development. If he continues on his current trajectory, a 22 Under 22 nod isn’t out of the question.
Barroso, the 20-year-old Portuguese right back from Sporting CP’s academy, had the inverse trajectory — he started hot in 2025 before injuries cut his season short. Fully healthy heading into 2026, he’s competing with Jonathan Dean for the starting right back spot. Berhalter called him a player with “a very high ceiling” at the time of his signing, and a full, healthy season could make that projection a reality.
Both players represent the kind of long-term investment that separates clubs building something from clubs chasing quick fixes.
Meet Puso Dithejane, Chicago’s Other South African Gem
The Mbokazi signing grabbed the headlines, but don’t sleep on Puso Dithejane, the 21-year-old winger who joined the Fire from TS Galaxy on a U22 Initiative deal. A product of the Kaizer Chiefs academy, Dithejane tallied seven goals and 13 assists in 63 appearances in the South African Premiership and was capped by Bafana Bafana at the 2025 COSAFA Cup.
Berhalter called him “one of South Africa’s best young, attacking players,” and the Fire beat out Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns — two of the biggest clubs on the continent — to sign him. Primarily a right winger who can also slot in at right back or attacking midfield, Dithejane gives Berhalter another dynamic option on the flanks behind Jonathan Bamba and Maren Haile-Selassie.
He only recently received his P-1 visa and joined full training, so don’t expect 90 minutes right away. But keep his name in mind — you’ll be hearing it a lot this season.
The Ceiling Is Brady and Zinckernagel
New signings and developmental upside are exciting, but this team’s ceiling lives and dies with its two most important returning players: Chris Brady and Philip Zinckernagel.
Brady, the 21-year-old Naperville native, has started 91 consecutive regular season matches across the last three seasons and posted six shutouts in 2025. He was voted to the MLS 22 Under 22 list for a third straight year (ranked 11th, his highest ever), was selected to the USMNT Gold Cup roster by Mauricio Pochettino, and signed a new contract extension in September. With the 2026 World Cup on home soil this summer, Brady’s performances for the Fire could strengthen his case for a spot on the national team’s expanded 26-man squad. The Fire allowed 60 goals last season — tied for the most among playoff teams. If Brady and this new-look backline featuring Mbokazi can tighten things up, Chicago becomes a much more dangerous team.
Then there’s Zinckernagel. The Danish winger’s first season in Chicago was nothing short of historic: 15 goals and 15 assists — 30 goal contributions that shattered the club’s all-time single-season record. He was named the Fire’s Most Valuable Player, earned an MLS All-Star selection, and tied Josef Martínez’s MLS record with goal contributions in 10 consecutive matches. If Zinckernagel replicates — or builds on — that production, this team is a legitimate Eastern Conference contender. If he regresses, the math gets harder in a hurry.
Know Your Enemy: Houston’s Overhauled Attack
Houston isn’t the same team that stumbled to 12th in the Western Conference last year. Ben Olsen called this “probably one of the most competitive teams” he’s had in his 15-plus years as a head coach, and the roster moves back that up.
The headliner is Mateusz Bogusz, the Polish international attacker signed from Cruz Azul for a reported fee of up to $10 million. Bogusz was electric at LAFC in 2024, posting 31 goal involvements — a number no Dynamo player has ever reached in a single season. If he recaptures that form, he’s a problem for every defense in the league.
Other names to watch:
- Ezequiel Ponce — Led Houston with 10 goals in 2025 and will look to build chemistry with Bogusz
- Jack McGlynn — The 22-year-old USMNT midfielder had a club-leading 14 goal contributions last season and has World Cup ambitions of his own
- Guilherme — A new Designated Player winger from Santos with 95 goals and 44 assists across a 429-game career
- Héctor Herrera — The former Houston captain returns as a free agent; a two-time MLS All-Star who provides experience and set-piece quality
- Agustín Bouzat — The Argentine midfielder captained Vélez Sarsfield to a treble in 2024
Houston went 4-2-0 in preseason and will be eager to make a statement in front of their home crowd.
Match Details
- Kickoff: Saturday, February 21, 2026 — 7:30 p.m. CT
- Venue: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, TX
- Watch: MLS Season Pass
- Listen: wlsam.com (English) / WRTO 1200 AM (Spanish)
- All-Time Series: Chicago is 9-11-8 against Houston in the regular season (3-7-4 in Houston)
What to Expect
This is a match between two teams heading in different directions with the same destination in mind. Chicago carries the momentum of a playoff breakthrough and a roster that’s deeper than it’s been in years. Houston carries the urgency of a team that spent big to avoid another wasted season.
Missing Gutman and possibly Cuypers isn’t ideal, but it’s exactly the kind of scenario Berhalter built this roster to handle. Expect D’Avilla to anchor the middle, Robin Lod to make an immediate impact in his debut, and Mbokazi to show MLS what South African football has been developing.
And through it all, keep your eyes on Brady between the posts and Zinckernagel pulling strings in the final third. They’re the engine and the rudder. As the Fire proved last October, this squad can compete. Now it’s time to prove they can take the next step.
Saturday night in Houston. The 2026 season starts here.