Fire sign youngest homegrown MLS player in Addison goalie

Posted March 08, 2019 12:00 am

Orrin Schwarz

The Chicago Fire on Friday announced it has signed 14-year-old goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina of Addison as a homegrown player.

Slonina becomes the youngest homegrown player Major League Soccer has signed. He is the 13th player to sign a homegrown player contract with the Fire.

He is signed through the 2022 season with a club option for 2023.

"Obviously, we believe that Gabriel has high potential," said Fire president and general manager Nelson Rodriguez said in a team statement. "While we would always prefer not to sign players at such a young age, a convergence of factors made his signing at this particular moment the right course of action for everyone. We will be patient and deliberate in advancing Gabriel's development while ensuring he retains some normalcy as a teenager."

The Fire plays its home opener at noon Saturday at SeatGeek Stadium against Orlando City SC.

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