Class of 2024: Chicago Fire Prospects to Watch in College Soccer this Season
Though the MLS and MLS Next Pro schedules are approaching their conclusions, college soccer is only beginning. University teams around the country kicked off their schedules this week, including several with former Chicago Fire academy products.
Several academy alums are scattered throughout the NCAA across several different conferences, but three prominent contributors for Chicago Fire II this season are set to play roles for their new schools. As the season finds its rhythm in the coming weeks, here are the three Fire products to keep an eye on with an eye toward a potential homegrown deal in the future.
Dylan Borso – Wake Forest
The cream of the Fire’s class of 2024 is undoubtedly Borso, who joins Wake Forest’s highly competitive program. Borso has already been named a pre-season freshman All-American and immediately slots into the Demon Deacons team as one of the best central midfielders in college soccer nationally.
“He is a special profile,” Fire II head coach Ludovic Taillandier told MIR97 Media. “You rarely find all those things in the same player. He’s a very good athlete, extremely powerful, can run all day, can use his right foot and left foot.”
Admittedly, injuries limited Borso’s contributions for Fire II this year in MLS Next Pro. He made just five appearances, totaling 185 minutes. However, he showed his quality at that time and assisted Omari Glasgow in a spectacular fashion against FC Cincinnati II on opening day. Since arriving at Wake this summer, Borso has already established himself in the team, starting in the season opener against VCU and appearing in the second match against Central Arkansas.
Borso is among the frontrunners for the Fire’s next homegrown contract. There is a good chance that a strong season in the ACC — where he will be the clear favorite for Freshman of the Year — could parlay into Fire homecoming, and even if it doesn’t happen this year, he finds himself in a great place to continue to develop and improve his game at the highest level college soccer has to offer.
“It was not exactly the right moment [for a first team deal] right now,” Taillandier said. “I think going to college is a great option and he can potentially come back later. I would not be surprised to see him getting more mature as he's in a great university.”
Charlie Heuer – Indiana
Heuer was a new face on Fire II this season, but following his May 13th debut, he was a staple in the team for the entire summer. The 18-year-old finds several familiar faces at Indiana, including former Fire II player Luka Bezerra and fellow freshman Easton Bogard; former Fire homegrown Jeremiah Gutjahr is also a member of the coaching staff.
Despite Indiana’s status as a traditional powerhouse in college soccer, Heuer has already made his way into the team as a freshman. In the Hoosiers’ season opener – a frustrating 2-0 loss at St. Louis University – Heuer appeared off the bench and played 31 minutes, playing as a central midfielder at the start of the second half.
Nailing down a starting job at a school like Indiana won’t happen overnight for Heuer, and he isn’t the level of “can’t miss” prospect that Borso is right now. However, if he stays healthy and continues to become more well-rounded defensively, he will play a significant role for a team looking to return to the national championship after a gut-wrenching shootout loss in the final against Syracuse in 2022 and an elite eight defeat to Notre Dame in 2023.
Michael Nesci – Indiana
Heuer isn’t the only incoming freshman directly from Fire II. He’s joined by 2023 MLS Next All-Star Nesci, who had been involved with the second team for almost two years. The duo will be hoping to line up alongside one another in a 4-4-2 for Todd Yeagley; though he played games in midfield and on the wing for the Fire, Nesci seems set to be deployed as a number nine or second striker for Indiana.
Since debuting in August of that year as a late substitute for Sergio Oregel, Nesci has appeared 24 times for Fire II across all competitions, including a U.S. Open Cup start in which he scored. Though he wasn’t named in the initial eleven against St. Louis in Indiana’s opener, the 18-year-old played extensively, seeing 73 minutes of action and coming agonizingly close to scoring in the final moments.
Indiana began the season ranked seventh nationally, and while they were one of several big schools to fall to surprise defeats in their opening games, the integration of their two freshman gems will provide a big boost. Like Heuer, Nesci is another player who will be able to make an instant impact at the NCAA level, and success throughout his time in college could undoubtedly result in a future MLS contract.
