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Fire Homegrown Midfielder Harry Shipp Named Finalist for 2014 AT&T Rookie of the Year Award

November 20, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


CHICAGO (Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014) - Chicago Fire rookie Homegrown midfielder Harry Shipp was announced today as one of three finalists for the 2014 AT&T Rookie of the Year award and for the Xbox Individual Fair Play award.

Shipp joined the Fire on Jan. 9 after captaining Notre Dame to their first-ever NCAA College Cup, tallying the game-winning assist in a 2-1 win over the University of Maryland at PPL Park on Dec. 15, 2013.

The Lake Forest, Ill. native became the first Homegrown player in club history to make a Major League Soccer appearance when he started in a road match against the Portland Timbers on March 16. In his debut season, Shipp started 26 of the 33 matches in which he appeared and was one of only three players to appear in a team-high 33 matches for the Men in Red during the 2014 campaign.

Shipp finished the season tied for second on the team with seven goals and added a team-leading six assists.

On May 10, Shipp tallied the first goal by a Homegrown player in Fire history in the 4th minute of a 5-4 road victory over the New York Red Bulls. For his hat trick and assist that match, Shipp was named MLS Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week Ten of the MLS season. Shipp's hat trick was the sixth scored by a rookie in MLS history.

The 23-year-old took part in the inaugural Chipotle Homegrown Game at Providence Park in Portland on Aug. 4, captaining the MLS side in the second half of a 0-0 draw.

The finalists for Rookie of the Year were determined by votes from national media members, MLS players, technical staffs and front offices. FC Dallas forward Tesho Akindele and D.C. United defender Steven Birnbaum join Shipp as finalists.

A Fire Academy product, Shipp is the seventh player in Fire history to be nominated for the MLS Rookie of the Year award, previously won by Carlos Bocanegra in 2000, Damani Ralph in 2003 and Austin Berry in 2012.

Shipp was also named a finalist for the Xbox Individual Fair Play award along with the Darlington Nagbe of the Portland Timbers and Michael Parkhurst of Columbus Crew SC. The award is based on objective criteria such as fouls committed, cards received, games and minutes played, as well as subjective evaluation of sportsmanlike behavior. Recently retired Fire midfielder Logan Pause was bestowed this honor in 2012.

The winners for the AT&T Rookie of the Year and the Xbox Individual Fair Play award will be announced on Monday, Nov. 24.

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