Having completed his high school studies in December, Mauricio Pineda was looking at a relatively quiet first couple months of 2016.
But his calendar filled up quickly with a call not long before the start of Chicago Fire preseason training, when the Chicago Fire Academy standout and U.S. youth international was invited to join first team training both in Chicago and in Tampa.
“It was actually out of nowhere,” the Bolingbrook native said of his addition to training camp. “But it’s been really good. I’ve been training with the Academy and this is a way different level and a big jump, but it’s what I play for.