Who should the Chicago Fire protect in the MLS Expansion Draft?

Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty ImagesThe MLS silly season is in full swing, and this week it will conduct an expansion draft for St. Louis CITY FC. St. Louis are still building their roster and will have the opportunity to select up to five players from other teams. This could impact the Chicago Fire, so here’s everything you need to know.

Who is automatically protected?

Firstly, every club that had a player picked in last year’s expansion draft is ineligible for this draft. Thus, Austin FC, Atlanta United FC, DC United, LAFC, and NYCFC are all in the clear. The Fire, though, are not.

Any homegrown player under 25 is automatically protected, too, though. That means that Brian Gutiérrez,…