Hugo Cuypers Scores in 10th Straight Match as Chicago Fire Beat CF Montréal 2-0

Ten in a row. Hugo Cuypers is turning the Chicago Fire's season into his own personal highlight package, and on Saturday afternoon in Montreal he wrote another line into the MLS record book.

Cuypers smashed home a 67th-minute goal to seal a 2-0 win for the Chicago Fire over CF Montréal at Stade Saputo, becoming just the third player in MLS history to score in 10 consecutive regular-season games, according to the AP. Philip Zinckernagel opened the scoring in the 14th minute and set up Cuypers' goal, and Chris Brady took care of everything else in front of a crowd of 16,018.

Zinckernagel Strikes Early

Chicago came out sharp. Zinckernagel had already gone close twice, curling just past the top right corner in the eighth minute and dragging one wide in the 11th, before he found his range. In the 14th minute, Montréal failed to clear a ball into the box, and Zinckernagel arrived on the run to drill a first-time, left-footed shot from the center of the box into the bottom right corner. The AP pinned the failed clearance on Brayan Vera, while Chicago's recap credited Maren Haile-Selassie's run down the left for starting the move.

The first half turned choppy after that. Play stopped in the 19th minute for Cuypers to receive treatment and again from the 25th to the 28th for Mauricio Pineda, and both stayed on. Robin Lod nearly doubled the lead in the 32nd minute, sliding a left-footed effort wide off Viktor Radojevic's cross, while Prince Owusu kept drifting offside for the hosts, flagged three times on the day.

Montréal's best looks of the half fell to Iván Jaime. Brady pushed away his shot toward the top left corner in the 44th minute, Jaime sent another wide in first-half stoppage time, and Brady closed the half by saving a long-range attempt from Wikelman Carmona.

Montréal Push, Chicago Punch

Montréal, coached on an interim basis by Philippe Eullaffroy according to Chicago's box score, made two changes at halftime, sending on Noah Streit and Brandan Craig for Victor Loturi and Samuel Piette. The hosts controlled the ball for long stretches and practically lived at the corner flag, finishing with 16 corners to Chicago's three.

The pressure peaked in the 65th minute. Streit had a shot blocked, Owusu forced a save from Brady from the center of the box, and Vera tested the Fire goalkeeper again from distance after the ensuing corner. Three attempts in one minute, zero goals.

The Turning Point

Two minutes later, Chicago made them pay. Zinckernagel collected in midfield and threaded a pass in behind the Montréal back line, and Cuypers ran onto it and hammered a right-footed shot from the right side of the box into the bottom left corner. It was the soccer equivalent of getting dunked on right after blowing a layup at the other end.

It was Cuypers' MLS-leading 13th goal of the season, per the AP, and it effectively ended the contest. Gregg Berhalter immediately took off Zinckernagel and Haile-Selassie for Chris Mueller and Puso Dithejane, and Thomas Gillier had to save from both Cuypers and Mueller in the 73rd minute to keep the margin at two.

Star Turns

Hugo Cuypers. Four shots, two on target, one goal and two offside flags. MLS noted that he joined Josef Martínez and Carlos Vela as the only players in league history to score in 10 consecutive matches, and that Martínez's 15-game streak is the record still standing in front of him. He nearly added a second in stoppage time, sending a shot just wide on a fast break.

Philip Zinckernagel. A goal, an assist, three shots and the kind of two-way afternoon that makes coaches very happy. Chicago's recap says it was his fifth goal of 2026 and pushed him to 12 goal contributions on the season.

Chris Brady. Five saves, per ESPN, including a stop on Daniel Ríos' header toward the top left corner in second-half stoppage time to protect the clean sheet. According to the club, it was Chicago's sixth shutout of the season and third straight against Montréal.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Montréal had 59.5 percent of the ball and completed 366 passes to Chicago's 253.
• Shots: Montréal outshot Chicago 15-11 and put five on target to Chicago's four.
• Corners: 16 for Montréal, three for Chicago.
• Clearances: Chicago made 48 clearances to Montréal's 18.
• Saves: Brady made five, while Gillier made two for Montréal.

What It Means

Chicago improved to 7-2-4 with 23 points and have now won back-to-back games after beating D.C. United 3-1 on Wednesday, a bounce-back from consecutive league losses to FC Cincinnati and Red Bull New York. The club said the result lifted the Fire into third place in the Eastern Conference, behind Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF. Chicago also beat Montréal 3-0 at Soldier Field on Feb. 28, so this matchup has been one-way traffic in 2026.

Montréal fell to 4-1-8 with 13 points. The loss ended a four-match unbeaten run at home in the league and came three days after a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers. Jaime led the hosts with four shots, and they attempted 36 crosses, but only nine found a teammate. All that volume, and nothing to show for it, is the story of their afternoon.

Chicago host Toronto FC on Saturday, May 23, in the club's final match before the 2026 FIFA World Cup break, according to the Fire.

Closing Take

Berhalter isn't putting a ceiling on his striker. "If you look at the fact that each game is a new opportunity, and we know Hugo's a top striker, he should have, every game, opportunities to score," he said postgame, via MLS. "So, in theory, I think he should be able to keep it up forever."

Forever is a long time. Five more would draw him level with Martínez. The mark is in sight, and Cuypers is playing like a man who has already skipped to the last page of the book.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com; additional details from Chicago Fire FC's official site and the AP recap via ESPN.