Three more Chicago Fire players are close to receiving U.S. Green Cards

A Chicago Fire player will fly to Europe immediately after the match against CF Montreal this Saturday to finalize his U.S. Green Card, a source tells Hot Time in Old Town.

Green card status will allow that player to qualify as domestic on the Fire’s roster, meaning he will no longer occupy a slot designated for an international player. Over the last couple seasons, the Fire have made a big push to cut through red tape to get green cards for international players. It’s an area where other MLS clubs have been stagnant, and the Fire feel like it gives them a competitive advantage.

Currently, the Fire have nine international players, with only eight slots available: Ignacio Aliseda, Robert Berić, Jhon Espinoza, Gastón Giménez, Stanislav Ivanov, Chinonso Offor, Boris Sekulić, Luka Stojanović, and Carlos Terán. Since Ivanov is out with a long term injury, he doesn’t count at the moment, so the Fire are right at the limit of eight internationals.

This move will insure the Fire are in compliance whenever Ivanov returns to the roster. Hot Time is also told two more Fire players could receive their green cards in the coming weeks. But, there’s a race against the clock to get these done. MLS instituted a new rule saying any player receiving his green card on or after July 7 won’t count as a domestic player until next season.

If the Fire can get green cards for all three players before that July 7 date, they’ll have two available international slots. Those could potentially be used on signings during the MLS secondary transfer window, which runs from July 7 to August 5.

Fire Loan News: Andre Reynolds II played all 90 minutes for USL Championship side Memphis 901 FC, in a 2-2 draw with Atlanta United 2 over the weekend. And, we’re still waiting to hear when the first Fire player will go on loan to Forward Madison, the club’s USL League One partner. We’re told a move is close, but is yet to be finalized.