Fansided

Every MLS teams’ best player aged 20 or under

By Harrison Hamm

May 20, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta United forward Andrew Carleton (30) runs on the field against the Houston Dynamo in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
May 20, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta United forward Andrew Carleton (30) runs on the field against the Houston Dynamo in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 4, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Chicago Fire midfielder Djordje Mihailovic (14) passes the ball as Orlando City SC midfielder Cristian Higuita (7) defends during the second half at Orlando City Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 4, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Chicago Fire midfielder Djordje Mihailovic (14) passes the ball as Orlando City SC midfielder Cristian Higuita (7) defends during the second half at Orlando City Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Chicago Fire: Djordje Mihailovic

The ninth Homegrown player in Fire history, the Jacksonville-native Mihailovic already has 34 minutes of MLS experience spread through three games in 2017. At 18, he was part of a U.S. U-19 camp in February, although he was snubbed from the U-20 squad for the May World Cup.

Mihailovic plays center midfield, part of a logjam at the position for Chicago. Dax McCarty, Juninho and Bastian Schweinsteiger take up the first three positions on the depth chart, followed by some order of Mihailovic, Matt Polster, Collin Fernandez and the injured John Goosens, with North Carolina studs Cam Lindley and Mauricio Pineda waiting in the wings as potential Homegrown options. It’s a crowded group, so Mihailovic has some work to do. But with Polster moving to right-back and Fernandez receiving zero minutes this season, it seems as though he’s winning the backup battle.

The Fire don’t have a USL team, unfortunately, but they have been proactive in developing Homegrowns, even if they countered that initiative with the signing of Schweinsteiger. That Mihailovic is already the ninth Homegrown in their history is a testament to the Fire’s underrated commitment to developing local talent.

Five Homegrowns are currently on the roster, plus Columbus’s Matt Lampson. They let creative central midfielder Harry Shipp go a couple of years ago (still a bad move), but we’ll see if they can make up for it with this class. They’ll have to consistently trust them on the field first, and that starts with Mihailovic.

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