Chicago Fire: 5 key players to watch for in 2020

2. Djordje Mihailovic

2019 was supposed to be the year of Djordje Mihailovic. He was a star with the United States Men’s National Team during their January camp, scoring his first international goal versus Panama, he attracted plenty of attention from European clubs, and Chicago Fire fans were hyped to see what he could do in MLS during the upcoming season.

Something went wrong though, and Mihailovic often found himself riding the bench during the campaign. Although the issues never really came to light, many assumed the problems were with then-head coach Veljko Paunovic, who was known to throw players into his metaphorical doghouse for no reason.

Paunovic is now gone, however, and Mihailovic is getting a fresh start in Chicago. A homegrown product, the club will want nothing more than to see a Windy City kid killing it at Soldier Field. The midfielder wasn’t able to show it last year, but he has terrific ability on the ball and could be one of the better playmakers in all of MLS if used right.

Mihailovic is already 23 years old so the pressure is on to turn his potential into quality performances. But if he is capable of producing as his talent suggests, the Fire will have an excellent team and could earn a lot of money from a subsequent move across the pond.