Less than a week after Major League Soccer announced that the league would be sending MLS Next Pro teams instead of fielding first-team squads in the U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) released a statement stating that the league’s request would be denied. As such,
With the MLS offseason in full swing, it is time for one of the league's oldest traditions to take place: the SuperDraft. While the mechanism isn't quite what it once was – most top domestic players now sign homegrown contracts before they are old enough to go
At 5:00 PM Eastern on Friday, December 15, MLS Communications announced that MLS teams would not be participating in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and would instead field MLS Next Pro teams in their place. The decision ends over a quarter-century of MLS participation in the
When Lionel Messi announced his intention to sign with Inter Miami and Major League Soccer in June of this year, it was hailed as a landmark moment for the sport in the United States. The addition of the greatest player in the world and arguably one of the most famous
The Chicago Fire have reached an agreement with the Colorado Rapids to trade for left back Andrew Gutman, sources tell MIR97 Media. The Fire Academy product will return home in exchange for Miguel Ángel Navarro and a total of $450,000 in General Allocation Money. With the MLS trade window
Frank Klopas will return as the Chicago Fire’s head coach in 2024, sources familiar with the situation confirm to MIR97 Media. The Greek-born Fire legend will be promoted from interim coach to permanent coach for the second time in his career. Georg Heitz and Sebastian Pelzer’s decision to
The Chicago Fire's first new addition of the offseason will be center forward Tom Barlow, the Athletic's Tom Bogert reported this afternoon. In exchange for Barlow, the New York Red Bulls will receive $250,000 in General Allocation Money, with up to $150,000 in incentives
The Chicago Fire announced their end-of-season roster decisions ahead of 2024 this morning, with several players leaving the club and a few confirming their returns for the new year. The decisions, which were due to be announced before December 1st, are the first official act from Georg Heitz since his
Georg Heitz will return as the Chicago Fire’s Sporting Director in 2024, the club announced in a statement today. The 53-year-old was rewarded with a new contract extension despite leading the Fire to four playoff-less seasons since he took over in 2019. Technical Director Sebastian Pelzter will also continue
Former homegrown Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gaga Slonina was called up to the USMNT's camp today for the CONCACAF Nations League. This represents Gaga's third call-up for a competitive window, following his maiden call in January 2022 and the CONCACAF Gold Cup over the summer. The 19-year-old
When Joaquín Torres’ stoppage time blast slipped through Chris Brady’s fingers in the second game of the Fire’s 2023 season, some began to ask questions. It was Brady’s first game as the official #1 goalkeeper and just his second MLS appearance, and despite a strong goalkeeping performance
The 2023 Chicago Fire season has come to an end, so it's time to hand out some end-of-season honors. Last week, MIR97 readers submitted their votes on eight different awards, and throughout the week, we'll be announcing the winners. This story will be updated as the
Kei Kamara quietly walks into the back of a small movie theater in Waukegan, Illinois. There is not a huge crowd, but they are energized as the then-38-year-old striker entered the cinema. Following a screening of a short film about his journey from war-torn Sierra Leone to MLS, he fielded
The last time that the Chicago Fire went into the final game of the MLS regular season with a chance of making the playoffs was in 2020, when they hosted New York City FC at an empty Soldier Field. A hat trick of Djordje Mihailovic assists wasn’t enough to
Xherdan Shaqiri has company. In what has become a semi-annual tradition, the MLS Players Association has released its salary guide, revealing the pay of each player in the league, and the league has a new highest-paid player: Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, who has guaranteed annual compensation of $20,446,
South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup are underway once again and Chicago Fire’s Gastón Giménez and Miguel Ángel Navarro will both have big roles in important games for their countries facing off against traditional powers such as Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. After strong performances for the Fire