MLS Chicago Fire FC

Fire See 29 Commit To College Soccer

Published on February 9, 2010 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Chicago Fire FC News Release


Chicago, IL (Feb. 9, 2010) - Following college signing day last Wednesday, the Chicago Fire have confirmed 29 player development alumni that have committed to college soccer programs throughout the United States. From Big Ten Schools, such as Northwestern and Wisconsin to the Ivy League with Princeton and Yale, Fire development players will be making the mark at colleges across the country this fall.

"It's an incredible amount of players to commit in one day," said Fire Director of Player Development John Dorn. "Wednesday was a great testament to the club's long-lasting dedication to player development."

Among Wednesday's commitments were the club's first two youth signees, both from Naperville, IL: Chris Prince (Naperville Central HS; committed to Wisconsin) and Bryan Ciesiulka (Nequa Valley HS; Marquette) -- both joined the Fire Academy in Fall 2007.

"Both guys have been with us since the beginning with Fire Juniors," said Academy Director Larry Sunderland. "They've come through a deep, talented group of players and made their mark. Overall we're just proud of all the guys that signed this past week."

Leading the Fire charge was Bradley University, signing three developmental players, all from Nequa Valley High School: defender Keegan Balle, striker Scott Davis and midfielder Zach Kovacevic.

While many will be staying in the Chicagoland area, players like Cody Wilkins and Billy McGuiness are headed to Ivy League schools, Yale and Princeton respectively.

"It's a good mix of schools for kids to go to," said Sunderland. "We're excited to see how they progress in their college careers."

Below is a list of all player commitments:

Player College

Keegan Balle Bradley

Drew Bellmer Bellermine College

Drew Boldrige Winthrop

Micheal Chwistek Valparaiso

Bryan Ciesiulka Marquette

Josh Clark Wheaton College

Scott Davis Bradley

Michael Enghofer IPFW

Art Garza DePaul

Brian Heimerdinger Western Michigan

Connor Holloway Northwestern

Zac Kovasevic Bradley

Scott Lakin Northwestern

Charlie Lyon Marquette

Ricky Marton Florida Southern College

Oliver Mayer Western Michigan

Billy McGuiness Princeton

Michal Nemic DePaul

Jesse Ortiz Benedictine

Chris Prince Wisconsin

Colin Rook Eastern Illinois

Cal Roslieb Missouri State

Tom Serratore Valparaiso

Harry Shipp Notre Dame

Logan Spidle Southern Illinois-Edwardsville

Sean Totsch Northern Illinois

Max Van Houten Loyola-Chicago

Trevor Wheeler Wisconsin

Cody Wilkins Yale

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