Charlotte suffered a heavy 4–1 defeat at home to Chicago Fire on Saturday, 17 May 2025, in Major League Soccer’s Matchday 14. Played under the lights with a 23:30 UTC kickoff, the match saw referee Ismir Pekmic of the USA in charge. The visitors led 1–0 at half-time before pulling clear after the break to seal a comprehensive victory at the Bank of America Stadium.

At the time, the result dealt a significant blow to Charlotte’s ambitions of breaking into the Eastern Conference playoff places on...