Giménez, Fire Agree to Mutual Contract Termination

Gastón Giménez has left the Chicago Fire after agreeing to terminate his contract, the club announced tonight. The move opens up a Designated Player slot on the Fire's roster as the team enters 2025.

Giménez, 33, has spent five seasons in Chicago since Georg Heitz brought him to the club in 2020. For the moment, the move does not burn the Fire's one-time annual contract buyout for 2025, though that could change later in the offseason, depending on the team's other roster moves. As Giménez was a U.S. Green Card holder, the move does not open an international slot.

The transfer comes following speculation in recent days that Giménez would return to South America. Paraguayan media has linked him with a move to Asunción-based club Cerro Porteño, one of the country's top teams. Giménez has made nine appearances for the Paraguayan national team but has never played club soccer in the country.

In his five seasons with the Fire, Giménez made 134 appearances and scored four goals. Giménez possessed a Designated Player label for four of his five seasons with the Fire, which dramatically heightened expectations for his impact; though he was a solid player for large portions of his time in MLS, he typically failed to live up to that DP tag and struggled to be a consistent difference maker.

The now-open DP slot provides major flexibility as the Fire look to sign a roster reinforcements this winter. Giménez's departure leaves the team thin in midfield, with only Kellyn Acosta, Fede Navarro, and Dylan Borso remaining as viable first team players for the midfield double pivot. The position will likely be a prime target for a DP signing, in addition to the winger position. Center forward Hugo Cuypers is currently the only DP on the roster.

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