The Chicago Fire have landed one of the top players available in free agency, bringing on Finnish international Robin Lod from Minnesota United, where his 2026 option was declined. That marks the third year in a row where the Fire have brought on one of the top players available to Chicago in free agency, after Kellyn Acosta ahead of the 2024 season and landing defender Jack Elliott last winter. Both Acosta and Elliott went on to serve as team captains for the Fire.

Lod, 32, addresses a key position of need for the Fire in the attacking midfield. Even though the Loons ultimately decided not to pick up his option, his loss will be felt by Minnesota United, where he is the club’s all-time leader in both goals (34) and assists (33) and has the second-most appearances of any player in club history, behind defender Michael Boxall. He has also been recognized as one of the leaders of the locker room in Minnesota

The midfielder’s talent and proven track record in MLS under multiple coaches and styles of play with Minnesota made Lod one of the most sought-after free agents this winter, and during his time in Minnesota, he’s proven that he can be effective under multiple coaches and tactical styles. He’s able to play across attacking midfield roles – primarily as a no. 10 central attacking midfielder or as a deeper-lying no. 8. He can also play on the wing and was occasionally deployed as a second striker when the Loons played out of a 4-4-2 under Eric Ramsay.

He’s also proven durable: Outside of the 2023 season, when he injured his ACL early in the year he’s played 2400 minutes a season, even as he’s ticked past 30.

Lod Brings Positional and Formation Flexibility to Fire

Positional flexibility is one of the things that made Lod an attractive target for the Fire. With Brian Gutiérrez sold to Chivas and André Franco set to miss substantial time in 2026 as he recovers from an ACL injury, the only player on the Fire’s squad who could make a credible claim to playing at the no. 10 role was Philip Zinckernagel – but that would mean removing him from playing on the right wing, where he was incredibly effective throughout 2025. That left the Fire without the personnel to really play out of a 4-3-3, which has long been Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s formation of choice.

Bringing Lod into the fold means that the team now has the personnel to play out of a 4-3-3, as well as formations like the 3-4-3 that Berhalter employed through much of September and October last year. That allowed the team to effectively bring on an additional center back at the cost of a midfielder, and helped the Fire punch their ticket into the postseason.

After Franco’s injury, however, the team failed to find a way to victory in the three games where they played with three center backs, with their sole win coming over Orlando City in a 4-3-3, even as Berhalter tried multiple combinations of midfielders, trying to find an effective pairing in Franco’s absence.

Lod is the solution to that issue, and will likely be a regular starter at the no. 10 role until Franco returns. With Lod starting, that also gives David Poreba, who didn’t play for the Fire during the 2025 season (spending some time with Fire II as he worked back from an ACL in7jury of his own), a better opportunity to get minutes off the bench as he gains experience as a first team player.

After Franco returns, look for Lod to compete with new arrival Anton Salétros along with Sergio Oregel Jr. and others for minutes playing as a No. 8 box-to-box role, and as a valuable, versatile bench option, capable of coming in at either the No. 8 or 10 and pinch-hitting in other attacking roles.

In 2026, that means Lod is likely to get a fair number of starts but in the future, particularly as he nears the midpoint of his 30s, it means the Fire can increasingly rely on Lod to be a difference-maker off the bench, bringing his technical abilities to bear against tired legs.

In MLS, where roster size is heavily constrained, having positionally-flexible, skilled players available as substitutes – or “solutions” as Berhalter is fond of calling them – is particularly important.

That’s a more important asset to the Fire this year, who, because of their improved finish in last year’s table, are now entered in the Leagues Cup alongside the U.S. Open Cup. With aspirations for a lengthy stay in the playoffs than they had in 2025 and making it to CONCACAF Champions Cup play for the first time in the modern tournament’s history in future seasons, having high-quality players available on the bench is likely to be of real importance for the Fire going forward as well.

Fire Roster Now Full – But Is It Set?

MLS rosters are limited to a total of 30 players (as always, with some caveats). The addition of Lod gives the Fire their 30th player on the roster. Lod has a Green Card and so does not require an international slot, counting as a domestic player for roster purposes.

That’s a boon for the Fire, who currently have 12 international players (players without a U.S. passport or permanent residency status) on their roster, but only eight slots available.

During the preseason the Fire can remain out of compliance with roster rules – meaning they can have more than 30 players on the roster and more than eight international players, but the team must make moves to become compliant by the start of the season.

That means for the Fire to bring on any more players after Lod, they’ll need to free a roster spot. That can be done by loaning a player, selling a player (domestically or internationally) or trading them within MLS. The Fire also have two buyouts that they can exercise, allowing them to essentially remove a player – and their salary cap hit.

While several players are likely in a good position to receive permanent residency status, and therefore become domestic players for international purposes, and the Fire can trade for additional slots from other teams, they’re likely to be viewed at a premium by the team throughout 2026, especially as the team continues to pursue a top-end superstar in the sport, with the team most recently linked with Robert Lewandowski as a possible summer arrival.