André Franco has been cleared to return to play for the Chicago Fire and is on the bench tonight to face Orlando City.
Franco has missed over a year due to an ACL injury, but is finally set to return to action. The 28-year-old Portuguese midfielder was injured on September 30th of last year in the 5-3 postseason-clinching win over Inter Miami at Chase Stadium.
Franco's signing was the Fire's most noteworthy arrival of the 2025 summer transfer window, in which they spent months linked with a plethora of massive names from world football. Franco signed on an initial loan from Portuguese giants FC Porto, having featured in the FIFA Club World Cup earlier that summer. The move would eventually be made permanent in the offseason.
Because of the exciting rumors earlier in the year, Franco's arrival was met with delirious fanfare, and that only accelerated when he was assigned the #10 jersey. He was formally introduced to the fans at halftime of the regular season game against LAFC.
The initial impressions were remarkably impressive; Franco came into the first team immediately and made himself a starter. He was a key part of the Fire's September turnaround as they utilized a 5-2-3 formation, with Franco sitting next to Djé D'Avilla in the middle of the park. However, just as he was transforming the Men in Red into one of MLS' form teams heading into the postseason, the 27-year-old tore his ACL against Miami.
Although initially planned to return post-World Cup, Franco experienced several setbacks and did not return to team training until recent weeks. The fact that the Fire's last two road games, against the New England Revolution and Atlanta United, were both on artificial turf may have influenced the decision to hold off on his return for this Orlando game at Soldier Field.
