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David Poreba named MLS Next Pro MVP

Alex Calabrese

31 Oct 2024 — 2 min read

Screenshot 2024-10-31 at 3.11.16 PM

Chicago Fire II forward David Poreba has been named MLS Next Pro's Most Valuable Player, the league announced this afternoon. Poreba led Fire II with 18 regular season goals before scoring twice in the postseason run to the Eastern Conference semifinals – his free-scoring year earned him league Golden Boot and Best XI honors.

Poreba, 21, joined Fire II on an initial season-long loan from Polish club Stal Mielec ahead of this season. The Fire maintain an option to make that move permanent, though the club is yet to announce if he will be back in Chicago for 2025. A native of the Chicago area, Poreba has said that he has been enjoying life back home after several seasons away and has regularly trained with the Fire's first team throughout the season. He was also called up to the first team on four short-term loans, but did not make his debut in a competitive match.

Poreba is the third successive MLS Next Pro Golden Boot winner to also be named MVP. Jacen Russell-Rowe won the league’s Golden Boot in 2022, scoring 21 times, and is now a meaningful piece of Wilfried Nancy’s free-flowing Columbus Crew team and a Canada international. However, of the three joint Golden Boot winners in 2023 (with 19 goals each), none are regulars in MLS – league MVP Jack Lynn is still an Orlando City B mainstay, while Rémi Cabral and M.D. Myers play in USL.

Under head coach Ludovic Taillandier, Fire II was one of MLS Next Pro's most exciting teams last season; though naturally an attacking midfielder, Poreba was utilized mainly as a number nine, and connected play well alongside the likes of Omari Glasgow, Christian Koffi, and Vitaliy Hlyut. Poreba played nearly every available minute as Fire II's captain, seeing 2,510 of a possible 2,520 across 28 regular season matches. Though he previously spent the 2023 season on loan in Charlotte, Poreba was developed mainly in the Chicago area, starting with the Fire Academy before moving on to FC United.

https://meninred97.com/fire-ii-creating-a-standard-in-third-season/

https://meninred97.com/fire-ii-advance-to-eastern-conference-semifinals/

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