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The Chicago Fire announced yesterday that defender Johan Kappelhof has received his US Green Card. This grants the 27-year-old Dutchman permanent residency status in the United States.
As a result, Kappelhof will no longer occupy an international slot on the roster. It’s unclear whether the Fire have plans to fill that slot any time soon, but it’s definitely nice to have in the back pocket.
Kappelhof joined the Men In Red in 2016, having spent most of his senior career at FC Groningen in the Eredivisie. Before that he cut his teeth at Ajax’s famed academy. He has some youth caps with the Netherlands U21 squad but has yet to play for Oranje at the senior level.
Kap has become an integral part of the squad since joining two years ago, having made 69 appearances (nice) and being named to the 2017 MLS All-Star Game. With Joao Meira’s departure in the offseason and Jonathan Campbell still recovering from injury, the Fire will need Kappelhof’s steady presence and work rate more than ever in the coming weeks and months.