2024 Chicago Fire Roster Preview Part 1: Goalkeepers
MIR is previewing the team’s roster ahead of the Fire’s 2024 season opener on Saturday, February 24. We’ll introduce you to each player, including how they joined the Fire, review their 2023 season, and go over expectations and hopes for the upcoming season.
The Fire start 2024 with stability throughout the goalkeeper corps – Chris Brady remains the likely starter and the veteran Spencer Richey will be the backup and should get matches in cup competitions behind him – but will that stability continue throughout the season, or will Brady follow his predecessor Gaga Slonina in jumping across the pond this summer?
Chris Brady
Key Stats
Height: 6’3” DOB: 3-3-2004 (19) Foot: Right
2023 Stats:
Games Played: 30 Starts: 30 Mins: 2640
Goals Against: 44 Saves: 94 Save %: 68.1
Brady’s first full season as an MLS starter proved what the Fire have been saying about him for years: He’s a technically talented shot-stopper with a competitive edge. Compared to other starting goalkeepers in the league, he put together above-average numbers despite the Fire’s below-average finish in the league table.
History with the Fire: Brady, a native of Naperville, has played for the Fire since joining the Academy in 2017.
Key Question: Will Brady be in a Fire uniform at the end of the season? Though comparisons to Slonina became tiresome early in 2023, one can’t help but wonder if Brady will follow his predecessor to Europe. The Olympics in July, where Brady is a possible starter should the Fire release him, are a pretty big shop window for the young keeper and coincide with the European summer transfer window.
On a similar note, can Brady continue to improve his distribution? Throughout 2023, Brady was a more-than-competent shot-stopper, but he started the year less able to play with the ball at his feet than his predecessor. He improved markedly over the course of the year, though distribution remained a (relative) weak point for his game.
2024 Projection: Brady will be the starter throughout the first half of the season. If it looks like the team has another starter in the system (see below), he’ll be allowed to depart for the Olympics and might just remain in Europe. Expect him to get about 20 starts before that happens, though.
Bryan Dowd
Key Stats
Height: 6’3” DOB: 3-8-2002 (21) Foot: Right
2023 Stats (Notre Dame):
Games Played: 21 Starts: 21 Mins: 1930
Goals Against: 15 Saves: 70 Save %: 82.4
It’s a homecoming for Bryan Dowd, who the Fire selected with their first pick (number six overall) in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. The Oak Park, Ill. native spent time in the Fire academy before playing for Notre Dame, and the team wasted little time in signing the goalkeeper to a professional contract.
Notably, that means that the Fire have four goalkeepers eligible to earn first-team minutes.
History with the Fire: Dowd played in the Fire’s academy set up through 2020 when he left for college soccer.
Key Question: Can he make the case – likely in Fire II – that he can be a competent first-team starter? And can he do it quickly enough that the team might consider allowing selling Brady by the summer?
2024 Projection: Dowd will start the year with Fire II, where he’ll be tasked with making a case for earning first-team minutes through strong performances.
Jeffrey Gal
Key Stats
Height: 6’2” DOB: 4-6-1993 (30) Foot: Right
2023 Stats (Fire II):
Games Played: 12 Starts: 12 Mins: 1125
Goals Against: 13 Saves: 42 Save %: 76.4
A product of suburban club Sockers FC, Gal returns for a second year with the Fire, though with Bryan Dowd now in the system, the Fire’s goalkeeping corps is getting crowded on both the first and second team.
History with the Fire: The Bartlett, Ill., native joined the Fire ahead of the 2023 season. He made the Fire’s bench on several occasions (normally when Brady was injured), but did not make a first team appearance. Instead, he split starting duties in MLS Next Pro with Mihajlo Mišković.
Key Question: Can he continue to earn minutes now there are two young goalkeepers and one veteran ahead of him in the team’s depth chart?
Spencer Richey
Key Stats
Height: 6’1” DOB: 5-30-1992 (31) Foot: Right
2023 Stats:
Games Played: 5 Starts: 4 Mins: 420
Goals Against: 7 Saves: 10 Save %: 58.8
The veteran keeper is now in his third year with the Fire and has served as a backup and the go-to option for cup competitions while earning the occasional start in MLS. Richey deserves credit for providing leadership and experience as he’s now worked with two starting goalkeepers in their teenage years.
History with the Fire: Richey was acquired by the Fire via free agency in December 2021 after time with the Seattle Sounders, FC Cincinnati, and Vancouver Whitecaps.
Key Question: With Bryan Dowd now in the system, will Spencer remain the backup option? If Brady leaves, will Richey get more starts, or will Dowd be fast-tracked into the XI?
