Bryan Dowd Recalled in Extreme Hardship Call-Up
Bryan Dowd has returned to the Chicago Fire first team this weekend, the club confirmed this morning. Dowd was on loan at FC Tulsa but will be a part of the Fire's matchday squad against Atlanta United on Saturday. The club was granted an extreme hardship exemption by the league after it was left with just one eligible goalkeeper following Chris Brady's red card against Orlando City last week.
Dowd, who was the sixth overall pick in last year's MLS SuperDraft, had yet to appear for the Fire in any capacity. Though his selection out of Notre Dame was met with much fanfare, he lost out to teenager Patrick Los in the chase for MLS Next Pro minutes last season and has spent the bulk of his time with the Fire out on loan. The 23-year-old spent the second half of last season with Huntsville City SC before moving to Tulsa this year in preseason.
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Brady's 36th minute sending-off last Saturday kicked into motion a minor scramble to figure out who would backup Jeff Gal against Atlanta. Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter admitted in the postgame press conference that even he was unsure what steps the club would take. By Tuesday, it seemed clear that under-contract Dowd would make a first appearance in an MLS matchday squad, and he had already returned from Tulsa to Chicago in time to attend the first team's Open Cup match against Detroit City on Wednesday night.
Because the club was approved for an extreme hardship exemption, they don't need to make any changes to the official MLS roster to get Dowd back eligible for selection. Dowd remains in "Slot 31," meaning he does not occupy a slot on either the Fire's senior or supplemental roster. Had the exemption not been approved, the club likely would have had to move forward David Poreba onto the Season-Ending Injury list, which would have vacated a slot on the supplemental roster, but that was ultimately not necessary.
Officially, Dowd's loan with Tulsa is now terminated, meaning his time there is completely over. It won't be a hammer blow for the Oklahoma side, however, who have demoted Dowd to the bench for their last four matches in all competitions; the keeper had appeared just twice in the league since joining before the start of the season.
Opportunity for Jeff Gal
With regular starter Brady suspended for the game, third-year backup Jeff Gal is set to make his first-ever MLS start on Saturday. The 32-year-old is from the Chicago area but took a winding path via Sweden to his debut with his hometown club last week.
“What a roller coaster of a career so far,” Gal said last week after his first MLS appearance. “Going, to Europe, to Sweden... putting in the work and hoping for a day like this to happen. And for it to happen in my hometown of Chicago. I don’t have many words, but it's one of the best feelings ever.”
After two seasons as a third-string, it seemed unlikely Gal would ever see the field for the Fire first team. But the game of promoting him to second-choice will be properly tested when the Fire face a star-studded Atlanta offense this Saturday. Gal will be looking for a first official MLS shutout (neither he nor Brady were credited with one last weekend despite the Fire's 0-0 draw) but will have to stop the likes of Emmanuel Latte Lath, Miguel Almirón, and Saba Lobzhanidze from finding the net at Soldier Field.
“I feel good,” Gal said last week, anticipating his upcoming start. “I was able to get a lot of reps and games in preseason. Obviously, the season is young, so I feel like I'm in a good place right now. I'm happy to be able to help the team anyway I can.”
Read more:
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