Sources: Diego Konincks Leaves Chicago Fire II for CPL
Chicago Fire II captain Diego Konincks has left the club on loan for the remainder of the 2025 season, sources told MIR97 Media. With his MLS Next Pro contract expiring at the end of the year, Konincks will not return to Chicago.
Konincks, who made the Chicago Fire's first team bench twice this season, turns 25 this year and is therefore ineligible to renew his MLS Next Pro deal. The ball-playing Dutch central defender was seeking first team minutes, and he will get that in the Canadian Premier League at Valour FC.
Across one-and-a-half seasons, Konincks made 43 appearances for the second team and scored three times. Though primarily a center back, he learned how to start playing central midfield in preseason and appeared as a #6 multiple times in 2025. Konincks started as a holding midfielder in his final Fire II match, a 3-3 draw with New York City FC II, which was won on penalties. His lone MLS Next Pro assist came in his final home match, a 6-1 win over Columbus Crew 2.
Earlier this season, Konincks was a sporadic presence in Fire first team training. His two call-ups to MLS play both came against Canadian opposition in the Vancouver Whitecaps and CF Montréal, but Rominigue Kouamé's first two appearances of the season ensured he was not needed. Konincks was ineligible to feature for the Fire after the April arrival of Djé D'Avilla because there was no open international slot.
Valour FC have ten matches remaining in their 2025 and currently sit in 7th place in the CPL, just one position above last. They are 11 points outside of a playoff place, so qualification for the postseason also seems incredibly unlikely. However, unlike in Chicago, Konincks will be guaranteed first team minutes and can slot in anywhere across Winnipeg's back three.
For Chicago, Konincks' departure opens the door for more minutes for teenage defender Josue Pfrommer, who has started the last three matches. Jean Balpha Diouf will continue to be a starter, while Christopher Cupps will be an option when he drops down from the first team. Though currently injured, Olu Oyegunle also remains on the team and has shown his quality in his 10 appearances this year.
