New Season, New Look: Houston Dynamo Host Chicago Fire to Kick Off 2026
(image via Aldo Canale)
The Houston Dynamo kick off the 2026 regular season tonight, hosting Chicago Fire FC at Shell Energy Stadium. Houston comes into this new season with a number of additions to the squad and having finished unbeated in the preseason.
When: Saturday, February 21 | 7:40 PM CT kickoff
Where: Shell Energy Stadium; Houston, Texas
TV/Stream: Apple TV
Radio: TUDN Deportes 102.9 FM (Spanish)
New Faces
After a disappointing 2025 season that ended with the Houston Dynamo missing the MLS Cup Playoffs, the squad went through an overhaul this offseason. Out with the old and in with the new, including Designated Players Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz. Houston also solidified their defense by bringing in Lucas Halter and found a Brooklyn Raines replacement in midfield in Agustin Bouzat. All of these players should be in the starting lineup tonight, giving the Dynamo a chance to get this new-look squad off to a winning start.
New Tactics
If you’ve caught any of the Dynamo in preseason, (only one match was open for fans) you may have noticed a different look in how they are set up. Houston is in a much more pronounced back three with wingbacks and inverted wingers up front. We’ve seen the Dynamo attack in a back three under Ben Olsen for years, with the left back and two center backs staying deep while Griffin Dorsey played in the attack as a winger. This new formation looks to utilize Lawrence Ennali as a wingback on the left and whoever replaces Dorsey on the right. Jack McGlynn is also sitting deeper in midfield, allowing Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz to play high in the attack close to Ezequiel Ponce. Olsen said in his Friday press conference that they are still figuring things out but it will be interesting to see how this tactic looks, and evolves, during the 2026 season.
Fire Power
The Chicago Fire took a big leap in 2025 after hiring Gregg Berhalter as their new head coach and bringing in some new players. Chicago made the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017 and come into 2026 as a team that look capable of making another leap into contender status. One thing that could hinder the Fire and work in the Dynamo’s favor, two of their main attackers in Jonathan Bamba and Hugo Cuypers, could miss tonight’s match with injuries they picked up in the preseason. Left back Andrew Gutman has already been ruled out for Chicago. Whoever takes the pitch for the Fire, it will be an early season litmus test for this Houston side.
Houston Dynamo FC – Out: Artur (lower body) Reese Miller (lower body), Nelson Quinones (lower body); Questionable: Felipe Andrade (hip)
Chicago Fire FC – Out: Andre Franco (lower body) Andrew Gutman (lower body), Viktor Radojevic (lower body); Questionable: Jonathan Bamba (lower body), Jonathan Dean (not due to injury), Jack Elliott (head)
Predicted Lineup
