Former U.S. youth national team forward Johan Gómez has signed with the Chicago Fire.
Gómez is already in Chicago and will be available for selection on Saturday against Toronto FC.
The 25-year-old FC Dallas academy product spent the last three seasons at Eintracht Braunschweig in the 2. Bundesliga. Prior to joining die Löwen, he had spells at FSV Zwickau in the 3. Liga and at FC Porto's B team.
Now, Gregg Berhalter is bringing him back to the country of his birth. Naturally, Gómez – a citizen of the United States, Mexico, and Germany – will not require an international slot but will be placed on the Fire's first team roster.
Initially coming up as a center forward, Gómez can play a variety of positions across the field. He can play on either wing as well as attacking midfield and has recently been used as a right wingback at Braunschweig. From a Fire standpoint, he will be first team depth in all of those positions, but most prominently up front, where the team has mostly operated without a traditional backup #9 for the whole season.
Individually, Gómez has done well to solidify his status as a professional in Europe. He has totaled close to 13,000 pro minutes since 2019, mostly in Germany's second and third leagues. Gómez has scored 21 goals at professional levels since making his debut with North Texas SC, then in USL League One.
The highlight of Gómez's career so far came with his involvement in the 2024 U.S. Olympic cycle; as a regular U.S. U-23 call-up under now-New England Revolution Head Coach Marko Mitrović, Gómez appeared numerous times in preparatory matches for the final tournament and traveled to France as an alternate for Paris 2024.
Though he has not worked with Berhalter directly, the Fire's director of football and head coach does have some familiarity with the Gómez family. Younger brother Jonathan Gómez was considered a top U.S. prospect while Berhalter was coaching the national team, and earned his senior debut in a December 2021 friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina while the left back was still with Louisville City in USL. The younger Gómez spent time at Real Sociedad B and now plays for PAOK in Greece.
Johan Gómez is one of several Fire signings that were completed ahead of Wednesday evening's transfer deadline.
