ORLANDO – Everything Hugo Cuypers touches is turning to goals.
The Chicago Fire’s club-record signing has had a scorching start to his second year in MLS, reaching double-digit goals Saturday when he scored twice within a minute to guide his team to a 3-1 win at Orlando City.
While Cuypers’ mark of 10 goals in 2024 was nothing to scoff at, he came up short of some of his own expectations as the team finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. He’s equaled his output from last year with still more than half a season to play.
“It’s been day and night,” Cuypers told MLSsoccer.com. “I have adjusted to the country and to the club. I’m way more settled, way more calm in my mind.”
“And then Gregg [Berhalter]’s philosophy is just helping everybody,” the Belgian striker added. “I think we missed the consistency to perform week in and week out. I think you see everybody trying for the system.”
Golden Boot race
With his goals at Inter&Co Stadium, Cuypers became the first Fire player to reach double-digit strikes in back-to-back MLS seasons since Nemanja Nikolić did it three times (2017 to 2019).
Though he still trails Philadelphia's Tai Baribo (13) and Nashville's Sam Surridge (11), Cuypers is still firmly in the Golden Boot presented by Audi race and is level with big names, including Inter Miami's Lionel Messi and Vancouver's Brian White.
“For me, everything is a consequence of consistency because it’s not just on the team, it’s also on myself,” Cuypers said. “I think if I want to be in that conversation at the end, it’s up to me to be consistent.”
All-Star hopes
In addition to staying in the Golden Boot race, Cuypers is certainly established in the MLS All-Star conversation, even if 2025 has been a great year for strikers across the league. His two goals against Orlando will bolster the chances of a nomination to play alongside the league’s best later this summer against the LIGA MX All-Stars.
Berhalter didn’t want to single out just one of his players amidst their strong run of form in May, but thinks those shouts are still justified.
“I think all of our players should go, right?” Berhalter said. “I think [Hugo] is certainly a candidate. We have a number of guys who are playing well and are top players. But we’ll see what the fans think.”
Cuypers, meanwhile, was intrigued by the prospect, even if it isn’t something he’s accustomed to from his years spent playing at a high level in Europe.
“For sure [it would be cool],” Cuypers said of the prospect of playing in an All-Star Game. “On the other hand, it’s some typical American stuff, so I’ll have to figure out how it really works.”
