Fire Sign Raheem Edwards From Montreal

The Chicago Fire have signed midfielder/defender Raheem Edwards from the Montreal Impact.

The announcement made earlier today notes that the club paid $400,000 in Targeted Allocation Money to sign the Canadian international. Edwards is under contract through the rest of 2018 with club options for 2019 and 2020.

Edwards, who turns 23 years old today, started his career with Toronto FC before being traded to Montreal for the 2018 season. He can play as both a midfielder and a defender, and has been most recently fielded as a wingback. He’s scored two goals in 14 appearances for the Impact this season.

Edwards has already undergone a physical earlier today in Chicago and will be added to the roster after his visa and transfer certificate are sorted out.

This is likely a decent move for the Fire. While bringing in just about anybody would probably be an improvement at this point, Edwards offers some badly needed options in the middle and the back, and in particular out wide. Given Veljko Paunovic’s tendency to field players in several different positions, that versatility— combined with his youth— could make him a real asset to the roster.