Mauricio Pineda set to become MLS centurion

Mauricio Pineda has the opportunity to make history when the Chicago Fire visit Orlando City today.

With his next start, the 26-year-old defender will become the first homegrown player in club history to make 100 MLS starts, and all indications are that he’ll get the nod at Exploria Stadium on the right side of the Fire’s back three.

There have been a host of Fire Academy graduates who have succeeded in MLS, but it’s quite fitting that Pineda will be the one to break the 100 mark first. His older brother Victor became the first-ever Fire homegrown when he signed his deal in 2010, and now, 14 years on, it will be Mauricio who will write his name into the history books.

“We've been around this club for so long,” Pineda told MIR97 Media. ”I remember growing up coming to watch the games and being around the club all the time. Whether through the academy or with my brother and now seeing my younger brother playing in the academy, it's all over the place.”

Pineda’s milestone comes off the back of one of his best performances in a Fire shirt against Toronto FC last Saturday. He started on the left side of the Fire’s defensive trio and had a strong night defensively, as his team mostly contained the starpower of Lorenzo Insigne. Despite playing on the road in a difficult environment, the Fire’s offensive proved explosive in the second half, scoring four times to win 4-1 and extend a surprise unbeaten run to four matches.

The Fire’s third goal came directly from the right boot of Pineda. An excellent interchange between Maren Haile-Selassie and homegrown Brian Gutiérrez created the chance, and Gutiérrez left the ball to trickle out for Pineda, who blasted the ball into the bottom corner from roughly 25 yards out.

The sensational strike was Pineda’s first goal of the 2024 season and was a special moment as it was fellow homegrown “Guti” who had created the opportunity. Though they are a few years apart in age and never played alongside one another in the youth teams, both Pineda and Gutiérrez signed their homegrown contracts ahead of the 2020 season. They also both played at the same club team, Zaragoza, at the start of their journeys.

“He was like four years old when he was playing, I was probably like, eight or whatever it was,” Pineda said. “I would watch him play after my games. He was like this little guy just running around.”

“I've known him for a while so it's definitely a cool feeling to play together with him and get that assist from him and that goal too.”

Gutiérrez and Pineda will likely start alongside one another once again against Orlando. Both have been key to the Fire’s good form, and Pineda in particular has looked quite solid since head coach Frank Klopas switched from a back four to a back three. When all center backs are available, its clear that Pineda is the top choice on the right side of the three, with Rafa Czichos on the left and Carlos Terán in the middle.

The change in shape has added defensive stability to the Fire’s game, and enabled wingbacks like Allan Arigoni to get forward and contribute to the offense. A freer role in one of the wide center back roles enabled Pineda to score his goal against Toronto, too.

“I think it definitely has helped the team,” Pineda said. “We've been training a lot better with a three back, and we've just felt more solid in the back. Even going forward, we felt like we were in better positions to attack other teams.”

“I've been more sound defensively. I think that helps the team get confidence.”

Pineda will now be hoping to mark the historic occasion with another strong performance. He has scored against Orlando before, but his contribution doesn’t necessarily need to be on the scoresheet, as the Fire’s turnaround did start with security at the back. The Men in Red are looking to extend their unbeaten run to five and winning run to three.

Regardless, the 100-start milestone is a huge accomplishment for the University of North Carolina alum and a landmark that should be celebrated as a great credit to the Fire. The presence of three homegrowns in the starting eleven, including Pineda, Gutiérrez, and Chris Brady, is a compliment to the Fire Academy’s success and represents a building block for the future of a talent hub that has slowly established itself among the best in MLS.