2013 Chicago Fire season
The 2013 Chicago Fire season was the club's 18th year of existence, as well as their 16th season in Major League Soccer and their 16th consecutive year in the top-flight of American soccer.
Chicago Fire began the regular season on March 3, 2013 with an away match against the defending champions Los Angeles Galaxy. The Men in Red concluded the regular season on October 27, 2013 with an away match against New York Red Bulls.
The Fire finished the regular season with a 14-13-7 record, but narrowly missed the playoffs, losing the spot to the Montreal Impact on second tiebreaker. On October 30, 2013, the club has announced the head coach Frank Klopas and the president of soccer operations Javier Leon have stepped down.
On December 5, 2013 the club's forward Mike Magee was named the MLS Most Valuable Player.
Squad at the end of the season
As of October 27, 2013. Source:Player movement
In
Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.| Date | Player | Position | Previous Club | Notes | Ref |
| November 7, 2012 |  Arne Friedrich | D |  Chicago Fire | Re-signed through the end of 2013 season | |
| December 6, 2012 |  Gonzalo Segares | D | Chicago Fire | Re-signed with the club to a multi-year deal | |
| December 7, 2012 |  Maicon Santos | F | D.C. United | Selected in the Stage One of the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft | |
| January 4, 2013 |  Joel Lindpere | M | New York Red Bulls | Acquired in exchange for a 2013 MLS International Roster Slot | |
| January 16, 2013 | Jeff Larentowicz | M | Colorado Rapids | Acquired together with the 30th pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft in exchange for the 11th pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, allocation money and a 2013 MLS International Roster Slot | |
| January 21, 2013 | Corben Bone | M | Chicago Fire | Opted out of Stage Two of the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft; re-signed by the club on January 21, 2013 | |
| January 21, 2013 | Alex | M | Chicago Fire | Contract option was picked up by the club | |
| January 21, 2013 | Michael Videira | M | Chicago Fire | Contract option was picked up by the club | |
| January 31, 2013 | Brendan King | M |  Alta IF | Signed on a free transfer | |
| February 4, 2013 | Dilly Duka | M | Columbus Crew | Acquired together with the MLS rights to Robbie Rogers in exchange for Dominic Oduro | |
| February 27, 2013 | Quincy Amarikwa | F |  Toronto FC | Acquired in exchange for a first round selection in the 2014 MLS Supplemental Draft | |
| March 1, 2013 |  Yazid Atouba | M | Rainbow FC Bamenda | Signed after being selected 30th overall in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft | |
| March 19, 2013 | Alec Kann | GK | Charleston Battery | Signed on a free transfer | |
| May 23, 2013 |  Bakary Soumaré | D | Philadelphia Union | Acquired in exchange for the second round pick in 2014 MLS SuperDraft and allocation money | |
| May 25, 2013 | Mike Magee | F | Los Angeles Galaxy | Acquired in exchange for the right of first refusal to Robbie Rogers and other considerations | |
| July 10, 2013 |  Shaun Francis | D | Charlotte Eagles | Signed per mutual agreement with Charlotte Eagles | |
| July 23, 2013 |  Juan Luis Anangonó | F |  Argentinos Juniors | Signed as a Designated Player | |
| August 14, 2013 |  Arévalo Ríos | M |  Palermo | Signed as a Designated Player |
Out
- Players selected in the 2013 MLS Supplemental Draft, but ultimately not signed by the club : defender Caleb Konstanski, defender John Gallagher, goalkeeper James Belshaw.
- Trialists who departed or were released in the preseason: midfielder Luke Boden, forward Sam Archer, goalkeeper Ian Joyce, defender Rich Balchan, defender Eric Robertson, goalkeeper Neal Kitson, defender Rauwshan McKenzie, midfielder Borfor Carr, midfielder José Alexander Pabón, forward Blake Brettschneider, forward Dailos Tejera, forward Maxwell Griffin, forward Kevin Mercado, defender Pascal Chimbonda, defender Leo Lelis and forward Colin Rolfe.
Loans
In
Out
Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.| Date | Player | Position | Loaned To | Notes | Ref |
| July 26, 2012 |  Rafael Robayo | M | Millonarios | The club did not announce the duration of the loan | |
| August 17, 2012 | Sebastián Grazzini | M | Atlético de Rafaela | The club did not announce the duration of the loan | |
| September 13, 2012 |  Orr Barouch | F | Bnei Yehuda | Was loaned for the remainder of the 2012 season; current status not yet announced by the club | |
| January 25, 2013 | Federico Puppo | F | LDU Quito | For the 2013 season | |
| April 1, 2013 | Kellen Gulley | F | Atlanta Silverbacks | Season-long loan | |
| July 9, 2013 | Álvaro Fernández | M | Nacional | Through the remainder of the 2013 season |
Technical staff
Leo PercovichStandings
Conference tables
Eastern ConferenceWestern Conference
Overall table
Results summary
Results
Match results
Preseason
Major League Soccer
Kickoff times are in CDT unless shown otherwiseU.S. Open Cup
Kickoff times are in CDTFriendlies
Kickoff times are in CDTRecognition
Leading scorers
Updated to match played on October 27, 2013.Source:
MLS Team of the week
MLS Player of the week
MLS Player of the month
MLS All-star game
Team annual award winners
Forward Mike Magee was named the team's Most Valuable Player, as well as the Golden Boot winner. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson was named the Defender of the year. These annual team award winners were selected by local media.Daniel Paladini won the club's Goal of the Year award via online fan voting.
MLS season award winners
Forward Mike Magee was named to the MLS Best XI and won the MLS Most Valuable Player Award.Kits
| Type | Shirt | Shorts | Socks | First appearance / Info |
| Home | Red with white lettering | Red | Red | |
| Home alt. 1 | Red with stars-and-stripes lettering | Navy blue | White | Independence Day special; worn at home MLS game on July 3 against San Jose Earthquakes |
| Home alt. 2 | Navy blue with pink lettering | Navy blue | Pink | Breast cancer awareness special; away kit worn at home MLS game on October 19 against Toronto FC |
| Away | Navy blue with white lettering | Navy blue | Navy blue |
Third kit
On October 8, 2013 the club unveiled the third kit to be worn in the 2014 season. The municipal-themed design named "Heart on Your Sleeve" incorporated the city flag as well as the iconic Chicago skyline. The winning design was selected via a fan vote online.Miscellany
International roster slots
On January 4, 2013 Chicago has traded a 2013 International Roster Slot to New York Red Bulls in exchange for the midfielder Joel Lindpere. On January 16, 2013 Chicago has traded another 2013 International Roster Slot to Colorado Rapids in exchange for Jeff Larentowicz, 11th pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft and allocation money. Subsequently, Chicago Fire had six MLS International Roster Slots for use in the 2013 season.Future draft pick trades
Future picks acquired: 2014 MLS SuperDraft round 4 pick from Real Salt Lake in exchange for Kwame Watson-Siriboe.Future picks traded: 2014 MLS SuperDraft second-round pick and allocation money to Philadelphia Union in exchange for defender Bakary Soumaré. 2014 MLS Supplemental Draft round 1 pick to Toronto FC in exchange for Quincy Amarikwa.