Big night for Fire’s Pineda

Victor Pineda’s family hails originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, so making his Chicago Fire first-team debut against Chivas del Guadalajara was extra special for the kid from Bolingbrook.

For Pineda and many of his younger teammates, the friendly wasn’t about the result, a 1-0 Chivas victory Wednesday night in front of 18,224.

It was about the experience.

The Fire’s first homegrown signee, the 18-year-old was one of nine Fire halftime substitutions, along with Arlington Heights native Pari Pantazopoulos, who also got in a first-team game at Toyota Park for the first time.

“It was a great experience, especially having my debut game being against a team like Chivas,” said Pineda, whose grandparents made the trip from Mexico for the game. “Growing up I loved watching them play.”

Pineda played right midfielder, earning a 75th-minute corner kick and an 81st-minute yellow card.

“It was good,” he said. “My teammates gave me a lot of confidence. Whenever I did lose the ball, made a mistake, they would always encourage me to keep working, do better, and get after the next one.”

“Games like this, the young guys, it’s great for them, for their experience, for their development, their growth and stuff,” said Fire interim coach/technical director Frank Klopas. “It was a good opportunity for all the players to get in.”

After an even first half, Chivas scored the game’s only goal against the Fire’s second unit on a 61st minute free kick by Jorge Mora.

The Fire also waived Croatian midfielder Marko Maric on Wednesday.

Maric played just once, a 17-minute stint at Portland on April 14, before suffering an injury. He has been on injured reserve since. Maric was paid $200,000 in guaranteed compensation this season, according to MLS Players Union numbers.

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