Chicago Fire II have acquired attacking midfielder Mateo Clark from the Vancouver Whitecaps, the club announced today.
Clark, 18, joins directly from the Whitecaps Academy and signs an initial one-year deal with the Fire's second team; there was no financial exchange between the Fire and Whitecaps. Clark is the son of former U.S. international Ricardo Clark, who featured for the USMNT at the 2010 World Cup.
“As we continue to utilize the player pathway between the academy and the first team, we’re excited to welcome Mateo Clark to Chicago,” Chicago Fire II Head Coach Mike Matkovich said Tuesday. “At his young age, he has a good amount of experience and is very versatile. We look forward to working with him this year and to be part of his development.”
Clark has featured very prominently for the Whitecaps' second team across the last two seasons since making his debut in March 2024. In total, he has appeared in 33 MLS Next Pro, scoring three times. He also recorded one assist and played in one MLS Next Pro playoff game last year.
Though his father represented the U.S. at the highest level, he is actually eligible for three national teams, and has previously played with the Nicaraguan U-17 national team. He is also eligible to play for Guyana and was called up to the CONCACAF U-20 Championship this year. Clark was invited to a U.S. U-19 camp last year.
Clark is the second player with Guyanese nationality to sign for Fire II since the club's inception in 2022; he follows in the footsteps of the country's all-time leading goalscorer, Omari Glasgow, who went on to sign a first team contract ahead of 2025. Clark is the first player of Nicaraguan nationality to ever sign a professional contract with the Fire at any level.
With the second team, Clark will feature alongside some of the top future prospects in the organization, like already-signed Robert Turdean, Brody Williams, Vitaliy Hlyut, Owen Pratt, and Jason Nemo. They open their season on Friday against Inter Miami II.
