BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Whether by luck or design, the Chicago Fire have found themselves at the center of the debate for Rookie of the Year honors in each of the last two seasons.
And while Harry Shipp and Matt Polster just missed out to Tesho Akindele and Cyle Larin in 2014 and 2015, respectively, the Men In Red once again have a candidate in the early Rookie of the Year mix in centerback Jonathan Campbell.
The University of North Carolina standout was a surprise pick at No. 12 at the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, with Fire General Manager Nelson Rodriguez and new head coach Veljko Paunovic using all their bargaining powers and league know-how to land a player who had been viewed as potentially more league-ready than even some defenders selected ahead of him.