The Chicago Fire have signed talented 18-year-old Dylan Borso to an MLS Homegrown contract, sources tell MIR97 Media. The talented midfielder recently completed his freshman season at Wake Forest, helping the Demon Deacons win the ACC Tournament.

Borso is the fourth signing of the Gregg Berhalter era, as the former USMNT head coach recently took over the Fire as the club's director of football and head coach. His initial contract runs through 2027, with options for 2028 and 2029, and he will fill a spot on the supplemental roster.

Of the four signings so far this offseason, Borso is the third who appeared for Fire II this year after David Poreba and Omari Glasgow were unveiled as new additions to the first team in recent days. Prior to leaving for college in July, Borso made five appearances for Fire II, including an eye-catching assist against FC Cincinnati 2 on the opening day of the MLS Next Pro season. In 2023, he scored on his Fire II debut and started in the club's first-ever playoff game.

“He is a special profile,” now-former Fire II head coach Ludovic Taillandier told MIR97 Media in August. “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.”

After starting the fall season as a substitute, Borso solidified his role within the Wake Forest team with a goal and assist off the bench against Syracuse on September 27th. The 2-1 win turned Wake's season around, and Borso went on to score three more goals, including two back-to-back screamers in the NCAA tournament and converted his penalty in the ACC Tournament final shootout win. His final strike of the year – an extra-time golden goal winner against Clemson in the Sweet 16 – went viral on social media, and he was named to the ACC Team of the Tournament.

With his signing, Borso becomes the 25th homegrown player in Chicago Fire history. The Chicago native follows in the footsteps of the likes of Djordje Mihailovic, Gaga Slonina, Chris Brady, and Brian Gutiérrez on the growing list of academy graduates to join the Fire first team. His path is in some ways similar to that of new teammate Mauricio Pineda, who ultimately played a full four years at the University of North Carolina before signing his homegrown deal.

While viewed primarily as a midfielder coming up in Chicago, Borso played the bulk of his minutes for Wake this season as a winger; both of his goals in the NCAA tournament came cutting in off of the left wing, but he also showed he was very capable of contributing on the right side, too. It is unclear where Berhalter plans to use him on the field, but his dynamic skill set and air for the spectacular make him an intriguing depth option for the new season.

In terms of roster status, Borso will fill one of the six slots (25-30) at the bottom of the supplemental roster. This means he will not count toward the team's salary cap. He will also be available for Fire II should new head coach Mike Matkovich call upon him; expect Borso to get minutes in MLS Next Pro during his first season to get regular minutes as he continues his development. Though currently dealing with a minor injury sustained after the end of the college season, Borso is expected to be back in time for the start of preseason.

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