Chicago Fire draft Jack Sandmeyer at #18
With their lone pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, the Chicago Fire opted to select Jack Sandmeyer out of the University of North Carolina. The midfielder, who can also play as a center back, was the 18th overall pick in the first round.
Sandmeyer, who is 23 years old and stands at 6'6", has just two seasons of playing experience in college soccer, including his graduate season in 2025. He originally comes from San Diego, California, and spent time at the University of San Diego before transferring to UNC for his graduate year of eligibility. He started all 20 games for the Tar Heels in 2025, scoring twice.
While this pick was an unexpected one, as Sandmeyer was not projected mainly as a first round pick, it's not a surprise to see a player come out of UNC. Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter is a UNC alumnus, and signed Sam Williams out of there last season to what was originally a second team deal. First team defensive midfielder Mauricio Pineda also played college soccer there for four seasons before signing a homegrown deal in 2019.
Sandmeyer will likely be a Fire II player, and while he played exclusively as a midfielder throughout college, the Fire may view him as a center back. His height seems more applicable to a defender, quickly drawing comparisons to firs team captain Jack Elliott, who similarly stands around 6'6".
The Fire did not have any other picks in the draft, trading their 2nd round pick to Real Salt Lake in August in exchange for the homegrown rights to Jonah Giorgis, and trading their 3rd round pick to the Houston Dynamo in January 2024 in exchange for Chase Gasper. RSL used its pick to select Thalwil, Switzerland-born defender Niklas Soerensen from Pittsburgh, while Houston used its pick to draft former U.S. youth international forward Austin Brummett from UConn in the third round.
None of the seven former Fire Academy players were selected in the draft. Bolingbrook native Olayinka Ogunleye was selected in the third round by FC Dallas. Elk Grove native Michal Mroz went to Minnesota United in the third round.
