Pineda makes big move from high school to the Fire

Initial home grown player to make it to club's first team

By Curt Herron

As Victor Pineda made the rounds of Toyota Park on Tuesday, he admitted that everything hadn't really sunk in just yet.

And considering the whirlwind of events that the longtime Chicago Fire product been through during recent weeks, that's all too understandable.

Tuesday marked a special day for both Pineda and the Fire organization as the 17-year old from Bolingbrook officially became a professional.

Pineda, who would have been a high at school senior at Plainfield East, joins coach Carlos de los Cobos's first team for Wednesday's home match with New England.

His move to the first team is significant since he's the first home grown player in the Fire's organization to earn a roster spot under recent rules changes.

Click to hear Victor Pineda interview

Under Major League Soccer's Home Grown Player Initiative, that was implemented in 2007, he can take up one of the two additional roster spots for such players.

They don't count against the 24-man roster for the first team. As per the policy of the Fire and the MLS, no terms of Pineda's signing were made available.

The Fire organization has a long history of playing top Chicago talent on developmental teams, but under the old rules, many of those players ended up elsewhere.

The 5-11, 140-pound midfielder figured to be on the fast track toward competing at the professional level following an impressive amateur career.

He took part in U.S. Soccer's U-17 residency program in Florida in 2008 and 2009 and competed with the U-18 national team this summer in South America.

A five-year veteran of the Fire's development system, he capped his time there by helping the U-16 team win the U.S. Soccer Development Academy national title in July.

Pineda, who was recognized as a Parade All-American this summer, was a three-year member of the Academy and played with the Fire Juniors for two years prior to that.

The pyramid player development system has been a significant component demonstrating the commitment of Fire owner Andrew Hauptman.

Therefore, the signing of a home grown player is huge for the organization as far as Fire Technical Director Frank Klopas is concerned.

Klopas knows all too well the pressures that will be on Pineda, since he too signed to become a professional in Chicago when he was only 17.

Click to hear Frank Klopas interview

Here's what other individuals in the player development organization and with the club had to say about Pineda's move to the first team, courtesy of The Fire's website.

"Seeing a player with Victor's potential progress through our Juniors and Academy system to the first team is a credit to his devoted work ethic and tremendous talent," Academy Director Larry Sunderland said.

"The Chicago Fire Soccer Club player development pyramid is one of the pillars of the Fire organization and, as a club, we are dedicated to developing players from our Juniors program to the professional level.

"I'm certainly proud of Victor in terms of where he's come from and where he's going. He's exactly the kind of player you want to move up to the next level because we're not pigeonholing him into a position when he moves up. He's very versatile, so it's going to be a case of seeing where he works best at the next level and where the first team feels most comfortable with him."

Fire Director of Player Development John Dorn is understandably proud to see a player like Pineda come up through the development system and make it to the first team.

"The great thing about this signing and the homegrown idea in general is that in Victor you have a player that's already seen the way the club is," Dorn said. "We molded the player in the Fire way, he grew up with the badge on his chest and he's going to continue to wear it – from a club standpoint that's huge.

"He's trained with the first team in Mexico, he's trained next to them during some of the Academy season here and he's trained with them now in preparation of this signing. He's familiar with them as they are with him.

"Today you're seeing the fruits of what we've been working on for so long. The way the club philosophy has evolved under Andrew Hauptman's ownership, into a 'one-club' philosophy – Victor's gotten a taste of what that means but players that come after him will experience it much more."

Fire player Brian McBride, one of the greatest players to have come out of the Chicago area, is looking forward to having Pineda join him on the first team.

"He's an exciting young player," McBride said. "Victor's been a part of this organization for a while now. To see him come through and get this chance is great. I think he has an abundance of attributes that are not only going to progress but are showing good right now. It's a tremendous opportunity for him and we're looking forward to working more closely with him."