Forward Madison breakout star Michael Vang joins Chicago Fire for preseason

Michael Vang of Forward Madison FC had a monster 2020 with the Flamingoes in USL League One, and now he’s turned that into an even bigger opportunity: a preseason trial with the Chicago Fire.

Vang is on the Fire’s 30-man roster for preseason, which begins Monday morning at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, before shifting to Orlando, Fla. for a month beginning March 7. The other 29 players on the roster are all members of the Fire’s first team.

The 20-year-old forward had four goals and two assists in 13 games in his first season with Forward Madison last season. He’s also the first Hmong-American to play professional soccer.

Joining Vang in Florida will be Carl Craig, Forward Madison’s new head coach. He’ll no doubt be looking for potential loan players from the Fire’s roster. Last season, Fire homegrown players Chris Brady, Alex Monis, and Allan Rodriguez all joined the Flamingoes on loan. Vang will be the first player to go the other direction in the partnership between the two clubs, from Madison to Chicago.

Here’s the Fire’s 30-man preseason roster as of Feb. 28:

Goalkeeper (4): Chris Brady, Kenneth Kronholm, Bobby Shuttleworth, Gabriel Slonina

Defender (11): Jonathan Bornstein, Francisco Calvo, Jhon Espinoza, Johan Kappelhof, Miguel Navarro, Wyatt Omsberg, Mauricio Pineda, Andre Reynolds II, Boris Sekulić, Nicholas Slonina, Carlos Terán

Midfielder (12): Ignacio Aliseda, Javier Casas Jr., Elliot Collier, Przemysław Frankowski, Gastón Giménez, Brian Gutiérrez, Fabian Herbers, Stanislav Ivanov, Álvaro Medrán, Alex Monis, Allan Rodríguez, Luka Stojanović

Forward (3): Robert Berić, Chinonso Offor, Michael Vang*