Match Preview: Huntsville City FC vs Chicago Fire FC 2
(Image courtesy of Huntsville City FC)
The 2025 MLS Next Pro season is finally upon us. After a preseason a couple weeks longer than their first team counterparts, Huntsville City FC and Chicago Fire FC 2 are set to lock horns Sunday afternoon at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.
An offseason of change in Huntsville has brought renewed hope to the Rocket City, with all eyes set on a first-ever MLS Next Pro Cup Playoffs (say that five times fast) spot at the end of the season.
Let’s dive in.
The History
These clubs have met three times in the past, with this set to be the second time these clubs have met in Bridgeview.
All time, Fire 2 has won two matchups, with Huntsville taking the other. That Huntsville win was in May of 2023, in SeatGeek Stadium, on penalties after a 1-1 draw. That was actually Huntsville’s final road game of seven to start their inaugural campaign before the opening of Joe Davis Stadium.
In their next meeting, this time in the Rocket City, these clubs again drew in 90 minutes, but this time with Fire 2 winning the shootout. Then, last season, Fire 2 again came to north Alabama and this time walked away with a 4-0 win and all three points.
Huntsville offseason acquisition Christian Koffi immediately gets to face his old club on the road, with Koffi having spent the 2024 season with Chicago’s second team.
Lineup Predictions
This is my prediction for the first Huntsville lineup of the year. There’s a lot of question marks, and frankly I expect a lot of this to be totally wrong. The only sure thing on the roster right now in my mind is Ethan O’Brien in the middle.
Once Chris O’Neal was named head coach, and O’Brien arrived in Huntsville shortly after, there were nine games left. O’Brien started eight. He feels nailed into the starting 11 when healthy here. He’s even gotten many looks with the first team, including making the matchday squad for Nashville’s home opener against New England.
At least at this point early in the season, every other job is up for grabs. Striker is probably a three way battle between Gio Miglietti, Gunnar Studenhofft and Adem Sipic, but I’ve gone Miglietti here solely for his experience level in this league.
Jordan Knight also feels like he should start most games when healthy, but with so many new wingers and 10s added to the roster this year his picture is just that slight bit less clear than O’Brien.
Alan Carleton and Christian Koffi make up the other wing and the 10 slot, again, not super sure here and going totally off vibes.
Moises Véliz makes his debut in midfield, and at the back I feel somewhat safe about the two fullback spots actually. Tyshawn Rose is a natural left back, and Blake Bowen is a natural right back. No one else on the roster, save Jordan Knight who is playing further up the pitch, can say the same.
In the center of defense, it’s Kessy Coulibaly and newly-minted homegrown signing Chris Applewhite. They’re two of only a handful of returning faces, though they never actually played together in 2024.
Erik Lauta is in goal simply because the hierarchy between him, and Nashville’s two deputies in Brian Schwake and Xavier Valdez is unclear.
Analysis & Prediction
Opening day is always a crapshoot, especially in a league that can be as volatile as MLS Next Pro. I’m going to stick with the one of these two clubs who actually made the playoffs (and reached the conference semis, no less) and the home side, Chicago Fire 2.
As mentioned, this league can be extremely volatile at times, and to add to the entertainment factor I’ll predict it’s a shootout win for Chicago after a 1-1 draw, with Huntsville’s goal coming from Alan Carleton.
This section of the previews will get much more thorough as the season wears on, trust me. There’s just a whole lot we don’t know about Huntsville yet, and can only learn the hard way.