Chicago Fire Sign Midfielder Brendan King

This signing certainly is a surprise to me, as Brendan joins an already full midfield picture. I would expect there will be a move or two to be made in the coming days as there simply isn't room for everyone and this is they type of move that can often preclude another.

Brendan is joining the Fire from Norwegian Division One side Alta IF, appearing in 7 matches. He also appeared for League of Ireland Premier Division side Bray Wanderers AFC, making 1 appearance.

It's nice that he has a bit of international experience already. Although I can't dig up a ton of info on him, it would seem he played out wide in midfield, at least at Notre Dame. If he can play left wing, there is clear, immediate value to the club. The coming days should be fun and hopefully Brendan is able to join the team quickly and get some pre-season action in. That way we can all see what he's got. Here's the full press release from the Fire:

Chicago Fire Sign Midfielder Brendan King

Naperville, Ill. Native and Fire PDL and Super-20 Product Joins Men In Red

CHICAGO, Ill. (Jan. 31, 2013) - The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Thursday that the club has signed midfielder Brendan King, pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC). Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. King will join the Fire in the second leg of preseason in Ventura, Calif.

"Brendan is a local product that we have watched over the years," said Fire President of Soccer Operations Javier Leon. "He is a talented, versatile player and it speaks highly of our player development system that we are able to add him to the first team roster."

King, a 22-year-old midfielder from Naperville, Ill., joins the Men in Red after spending 2012 with Norwegian Division One side Alta IF where he appeared in seven matches and League of Ireland Premier Division side Bray Wanderers AFC where he made one appearance.

After a standout collegiate career at Notre Dame, where he scored six goals and added 14 assists in 81 games, King was drafted in the second round (27^th overall) of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft by the Portland Timbers but elected to go abroad. A member of the U.S. U-17 squad for the 2007 U-17 World Cup, King, a Fire PDL product, was also a member of the Chicago Fire Super-20 team that won the North American Super-20 championship in 2008.

Name: Brendan King

Position: Midfielder

Height: 6'

Weight: 160 lbs.

Date of Birth: February 25, 1990

Place of Birth: Naperville, IL

Hometown: Naperville, IL

Citizenship: USA

Acquired: Signed on a free transfer Jan. 31, 2013

Twitter: @BrendanKing1717