Sources: Vitaliy Hlyut signs with Chicago Fire II
Vitaliy Hlyut has signed an MLS Next Pro contract with Chicago Fire II, sources told MIR97 Media. The 16-year-old forward is one of the Fire's top academy talents.
The deal sees Hlyut officially turn professional, with the possibility being that he could jump to the first team in the near future. The contract is guaranteed for two seasons (2025 and 2026) with two further option years (2027 and 2028). Should the Fire opt to sign Hlyut to a homegrown deal in the future, they would have to negotiate a new contract.
Hlyut, born in 2008, was a regular contributor for Fire II last season, appearing 16 times in the regular season for a total of 684 minutes. He was deployed primarily on the left wing but also appeared as a center forward or number 10. In this year's preseason, Hlyut recorded an assist in a first team exhibition against Sporting Kansas City and scored in a second team friendly against Forward Madison. He also turned heads last season when he was one of the top scorers at Generation Adidas Cup and earned an MLS Next All-Star nod.
After earning a significant number of minutes in preseason, Hlyut is expected to be a key player and starter for Fire II this season. Playing time in MLS Next Pro could come either as a winger or through the middle as an attacking midfielder. He has also trained semi-regularly with the first team since the start of the MLS season last week, owing to the team's current lack of fit wingers.
Hlyut is the fifth player that the Fire have signed this offseason from the academy. Dylan Borso, Robert Turdean, and Christopher Cupps all signed homegrown contracts, while Trip Fleming III signed a second team contract. Borso and Fleming earned contracts for their performances in college soccer last fall, while Cupps won his deal with his performances in preseason. There will be at least one more player signed from the academy to an MLS Next Pro deal in the coming days, as the Fire are one of several MLS clubs hoping to develop players through the second team in this way.
Though born in Ukraine, Hlyut has only represented the United States at the international youth level (U-16 and U-17) so far. He is eligible for both the American and Ukrainian national teams.
