Kellen Gulley Getting Playing Time In Atlanta

Among the many things the Fire need, homegrown talent is certainly an area that the Men in Red need to capitalize upon. Victor Pineda, the team's first homegrown signing, has yet to make a true debut. Hot on his heels, Kellen Gulley is also fighting to show his value. While still a very young player (he was born in 1994), none of us can really argue that the Fire truly need some up-and-coming young talent throughout the ranks.

It would appear Kellen is finally getting his chance to shine. Caitlin Hutchinson of the Atlanta Silverbacks helped to fill me in on Kellen's recent accomplishments. I also have to give credit to Neal Malone, Atlanta's PR director. For the record, I hope Atlanta is next in line to have a shot at an MLS franchise. It would be a great fit for the city and the league in my opinion.

While Gulley didn't initially see the pitch in his first handful of games, he has slowly worked his way in to the lineup. In case you were not aware, he made his pro debut in Atlanta's win over the Georgia Revolution on May 21st. It's clear Kellen needs constant playing time to improve his game, and he seems to be getting it finally.

On May 25th, Gulley made his first league appearance late in the game against the San Antonio Scorpions. A short time later, on May 28th, Gulley would tally a big goal against Real Salt Lake to force extra time. Check out the video link. That's him scoring at the 4:25 mark. Also, you can check out his work against San Antonio (2:17 mark).

While the young gulley still has a very long way to go, it's nice to see him start getting some playing time. He has some maturing to do as a player, and the only way to do that is to get out on the pitch. Here's to hoping Gulley can come to Chicago and help us in the very near future.