Ezra Hendrickson explains how Chicago Fire will replace Gabriel Slonina
By Chris Smith
Chicago Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson is confident the club has the tools to replace recently departed goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina.
The 18-year-old wonderkid is now officially a Chelsea player having secured a big transfer back in August, initially returning to the Fire on loan for the remainder of the 2023 MLS season.
Despite his tender age, Slonina leaves big shoes to fill having set a number of league records for appearances and clean sheets at his age. The now-full United States international kept 16 shutouts in total across 43 appearances in all competitions.
In his wake, fellow homegrown Chris Brady will battle with Spencer Richey and Jeff Gal for the No.1 spot.
While Hendrickson doesn't believe anyone could outright replace Slonina, he's confident the Fire can move on quickly.
"Well, we have three very competitive, very capable goalkeepers in [Chris] Brady, [Spencer] Richey, and we brought in [Jeff] Gal now," Hendrickson told reporters. "Brady is someone who has come through the ranks, just as Slonina did. Richey has been with us now a couple years and we just picked up in the offseason.
"What we wanted to do is make sure that at every position, there's competition. I think that's what we have with the goalkeeper position, and they have all three, when called upon, have showed well this preseason. So we are very happy from that standpoint.
"Obviously, they don't replace Slonina and what he was able to do for us last year, but we feel like we are on the right track as far as having three capable goalkeepers that could step in in any game in the League and do well for us. We still have a week due to the bye before we have to make a decision on starting lineup, so they will continue to compete for that position, and either way it turns out, I think we'll be happy because all three have shown really, really well this preseason."
As Hendrickson mentioned, the Fire won't be in action on the opening week of the 2023 MLS season, kicking off their campaign at home to NYCFC on Saturday, March 4.