Hugo Cuypers hopes to lead the way for the Chicago Fire
The Chicago Fire find themselves on a recovery mission in the MLS this season after a disappointing campaign in 2024. The team finished bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, winning a league-low of seven matches.
Defensively, the Fire struggled throughout the previous campaign after allowing 62 goals, while they also stuttered in the final third of the field after netting just 40 goals. However, hopes will be high ahead of the new season that they can at least be competitive in the MLS in 2025.
The early signs already look extremely promising after they have won three of their opening five matches, and they have already netted an impressive 12 goals.
From those 12 goals 5 came from new star player Hugo Cuypers. According to soccer betting lines, Cuypers is already favored to be among the top goalscorers of the MLS Cup.
It already appears to be a safe bet that they will eclipse the number of wins that they recorded in 2024, but could the arrival of a new star put them in the mix for an unlikely place in the playoffs?
Fire Sign Hugo Cuypers
Aspirations to get their ambitions back on track were felt during the summer of 2024, as the Fire paid a club-record fee to bring Hugo Cuypers to the MLS from KAA Gent.
The striker is one of the team’s designated players, and it is rumored that the deal cost the Fire in the region of $12 million. It is a major coup for the team, and sporting director Georg Heitz couldn’t hide his excitement after announcing the deal, revealing that ‘We have been very focused on acquiring a striker in the prime of their career with a proven track record of scoring goals’.
They certainly appear to have achieved that goal, and Hugo Cuypers looks set to be a mainstay for the MLS side for the next three seasons. Goals have been assured when the Belgian has been on the field, and he will have the main responsibility in the final third of the field to take the team to the next level.
Breakthrough
Cuypers began his career in his homeland of Belgian, playing in the fourth tier with Excelsior Veldwezelt. However, his stay at the youth team wouldn’t last long, as he moved to Vise following financial issues at the club.
His performances at the youth level would catch the eye of many of the top teams around Belgian, leading to him signing with Standard Liege in the summer of 2014. At U19 level, Cuypers would catch the eye in his first season, scoring a remarkable 31 goals and adding 13 assists.
He would also feature for the U21s, scoring twice. The striker was hot property around Europe after his appearances at the youth level, but he would eventually put pen to paper on a deal with Standard Liege.
His loyalty was later rewarded after making his professional debut in April 2016 against Waasland-Beveren.
Loan Move and Departure
Cuypers found minutes hard to come by at Standard Liege, leading him to move to the Belgian First Amateur Division with RFC Seraing on a loan deal. His performances remained very strong, scoring six goals in 19 appearances. However, in the search for regular first team minutes at a senior club, he could depart Standard Liege in 2017, joining Greek Football League team Ergotelis.
It was during this period, that would get regular first-team minutes, scoring three goals in his first four appearances for his new team. His scoring heroics would help the team reach new heights, scoring 20 goals in the first 27 matchdays.
His scoring campaign would see him make club-history, netting 22 goals to surpass Patrick Ogunsoto’s long-standing record of goals in a single season. Cuypers’s heroics at the team would gain the attention of many of the top clubs in Greece, ultimately leading to him signing for Olympiacos.
Return to Belgium
The move to Olympiacos didn’t work out for Cuypers, as he played just 14 games in the 2020-21 season before moving back to Belgium in 2021. He soon rediscovered his scoring boots, netting 13 in 34 matches to earn a move to Gent.
His two-season stay with the Belgian club was a major success, netting a remarkable 34 goals in 56 appearances in 2022-23, and then 17 goals in 34 matches in 2023-24.
However, he would make the decision to end his association with the team, as he looked to take on a new challenge. That challenge would come in the form of a move to the MLS with the Fire in February 2024. Eyebrows were raised after the team agreed to pay a club-record fee, but he was arguably the only star that kept his end of the bargain in a disappointing 2024 campaign.
Cuypers netted an impressive ten goals in just 31 games for the struggling team. He already looks set to improve that tally in his second season in the MLS, netting five goals in as many appearances in 2025.
Chicago Fire FC: Can They Start the Season Strong?
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