Maren Haile-Selassie Is Getting His Flowers – and He’s Here to Stay

Maren Haile-Selassie is finally getting the love he deserves.

For the second time this week, the 27-year-old Swiss winger is walking away with a goal and an assist. The only difference this time is that Chicago Fire fans now know his future with the club is secured after he agreed to a new multi-year contract.

“Maren is a guy that goes about his business,” Gregg Berhalter said postgame. “He’s very focused on improving. He accepts challenges at times, and he’s risen to those occasions.”

“It’s great news for the club that he’s re-signed and he’s going to be with us for a while. Performances like this boost the team, and him personally, because I know how hard he works.”

Today’s goal and assist rocket Haile-Selassie to 10 of each this season, making him only the second player in club history to reach both marks after teammate Philip Zinckernagel did so last year. He also recently surpassed 50 career goal contributions for the Fire, becoming the club’s sixth-most productive player of all time.

It’s a far cry from the “super sub” role many expected Haile-Selassie to play year after year, dating back to his arrival on a short-term deal from FC Lugano in 2023.

“When I came (to Chicago), I was on loan,” Haile-Selassie said postgame. “I wasn’t sure, at first. I came to see how it goes and it ended up being almost four years and longer.”

“I’m glad how the club is developing. It’s amazing to see from where we were, how we’re progressing and the team is getting better and I want to be part of it.”

This week has been among the most rewarding of Haile-Selassie’s MLS career. On Tuesday, he drove the 3-1 win over MLS Cup favorite Vancouver Whitecaps, assisting Zinckernagel on the eventual game-winner before sealing the victory late with a goal of his own. On Saturday, he sparked a second half turnaround against New York City FC, teeing up Anton Salétros for a 55th minute equalizer and scoring the winning goal late on.

His goal, pressuring Matt Freese and exposing his known frailty in playing out of the back, showcased his in-game intelligence and off-ball work, ultimately earning the Fire an extra two points in the final moments.

“Since he came here four years ago, I knew he had that in him,” goalkeeper Chris Brady said of Haile-Selassie’s recent run. “I’m not too surprised, to be honest. It’s a testament to all the hard work he’s been putting in this year. And as I said, I’m not surprised. I don’t think any of the guys on the team are surprised, either.”

Haile-Selassie is getting the recognition he has worked so hard for, and not just on the stat sheet or the negotiation table. Fans greeted him warmly on Saturday afternoon, cheering his name nearly as loudly as Robert Lewandowski’s when the starting XI was announced inside Soldier Field.

When Haile-Selassie was subbed off in stoppage time and replaced by debutant Andreas Hanche-Olsen, the Swiss winger received a standing ovation and was then awarded man of the match honors.

It is the first time in his four years in MLS that Haile-Selassie has really had a moment in the spotlight; even as he’s been a consistent force and produced several big moments, others have often stolen the headlines – this week, the Zürich native is finally getting his flowers.

“I was just happy to take the lead for my team,” Haile-Selassie said of his winning goal. “In those moments, you don’t really hear the noise, but obviously I could see the people’s faces; they were glad. We still had to defend for a few minutes, but we did a great job with that.”

Something Haile-Selassie has not done yet in his career is represent his national team at the senior level. Although he was capped by Switzerland’s youth teams, he is yet to receive a call-up to Murat Yakin’s squad.

Naturally, breaking into the Swiss Nati is no easy feat; under Yakin, they are enjoying the best spell in their history, reaching the quarterfinals of both this summer’s World Cup and the last two European Championships. However, after the season, he’s playing some of the best football of his career himself; it seems like he’s getting closer to earning an opportunity to impress at the beginning of this new cycle.

“It’s not on me to say that, obviously,” Haile-Selassie said of a national team call-up. “I’m available if so, but I’m so focused on my work at the club here, every day trying to get better, and the rest we will see.”