Chicago Fire loan Andre Reynolds II to Memphis 901 FC for remainder of season

Chicago Fire defender Andre Reynolds II will join USL Championship side Memphis 901 FC on loan for the remainder of the 2021 season, the club announced today.

The defender, who is the first Fire Homegrown from the City of Chicago, is one of several players in need of regular game minutes. Reynolds, 20, made his first appearance for the Fire in a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul in July 2019, and made his Major League Soccer debut in September 2020 against Atlanta United.

Reynolds played twice last season, for a total of just 16 minutes. This season he was on the bench for the first three matches, but did not play.

Chicago Fire FC

Memphis plays in the USL Championship, the second tier of American soccer. By moving to Memphis 901, and not the Fire’s regular USL partner Forward Madison, Reynolds will be able to compete at a higher level, since Madison plays in USL League One, the nation’s third tier. A source said Memphis offered a better opportunity than Madison for Reynolds to step in and play right away.

Reynolds is already in Memphis training, and should be on the bench for the team’s match Saturday against Birmingham Legion (3:30 p.m. CT, ESPN+).

Memphis 901 FC is owned, in part, by legendary U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard. Fire forward Elliot Collier had a successful loan spell with the club in 2019.

Hot Time is hearing the Fire will likely announce another loan move—this time to Forward Madison—sometime next week.