The Chicago Fire made a triumphant return to the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017 this fall, but one of head coach Gregg Berhalter’s final managerial moments in 2025 came with the fans, not the players.
The Fire fell 3–0 to the Philadelphia Union in game two of their best-of-three series and were eliminated from the postseason on Saturday night. The match had to be stopped twice in the second half due to discriminatory chants from Fire supporters. The infamous chant uses discriminatory language widely considered to be homophobic.
While the first few chants went on without punishment, the match officials began FIFA’s “Three Step Protocol” soon after, briefly suspending the game for an in-stadium announcement in the 78th minute.
“I think that it’s not who we are, it’s not who we’ve been all year,” Berhalter said following the loss. “We want a type of environment where people love coming to the stadium, love celebrating the game of soccer, and that chant has nothing to do with the game of soccer.”
Gregg Berhalter pleads with the fans to stop the chant #cf97 pic.twitter.com/nExoglCPZK
— Colin (@ufcolin) November 2, 2025
Berhalter went over to address the supporters behind the goal asking them to stop.
The chants continued following the initial pause, before a second brief pause in the moments before the final whistle.
The Fire followed Berhalter’s words with a team statement: “We’re disappointed in the unacceptable chanting that came from a group of supporters at this evening’s match. That behavior does not reflect who we are as a club or the values we stand for. The use of derogatory language at our matches is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Chicago Fire FC is committed to fostering an environment where everyone—players, staff, and fans—feel safe and welcome.”
With the loss, the Fire turn the page to the 2026 MLS season, where they hope the star trio of Philip Zinckernagel, Hugo Cuypers and Jonathan Bamba can elevate their performance and take them beyond seventh in the Eastern Conference and further into the playoffs.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Gregg Berhalter, Chicago Fire Condemn ‘Unacceptable’ Chant in MLS Cup Playoffs.
