Sources: Claudio Cassano Joins FC Lugano on Loan
Claudio Cassano is moving to FC Lugano on loan, sources told MIR97 Media. The Italian winger leaves Chicago Fire II for a return to Europe.
Cassano, who turned 22 this summer, joined the Fire last winter in a surprise $250,000 (€210.000) move that saw him sign a 3-year MLS Next Pro contract with the club. The winger came to Chicago with aspirations of playing first team football in Major League Soccer, but was unable to do so this year due to the size of his second team contract (which exceeds the league’s $104,000 limit for second team players appearing for the first team).
Cassano has been an electric standout player for Fire II this year and leads the team in goal contributions. He has contributed 10 goals and 10 assists, leading the league in the second category. Nonetheless, he has been unsettled since the spring, and made his intention to leave clear since the start of June.
The move to Lugano comes after an eventful summer throughout which Cassano has always seemed on the brink of a departure. He even missed the July 13th home match against New England as he was final steps away from joining newly-promoted Serie B club Avellino, but it fell through at the last minute when the clubs could not reach an agreement over some crucial details in the loan move.
While Cassano is happy to leave right now as he has always felt he was too good for the MLS Next Pro level, Lugano provides a reasonable stepping stone to a higher level. The Fire's Swiss league sister club has been a destination for several similar players since Joe Mansueto purchased the team in 2021, though Cassano is the first player to move directly from Fire II to Lugano. It has been a poor start to the 2025/26 season for the Bianconeri, who have just one win from four in the Swiss league and sit two places above the bottom.
In addition to providing a level in between MLS and MLS Next Pro, Lugano is also an Italian-speaking city, meaning Cassano will be able to speak his native tongue. He will also be much closer to friends and family during his time in Switzerland. Lugano teammates will include former Fire players Ousmane Doumbia and Georgios Koutsias.
