BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Until suffering a torn ACL, Michael de Leeuw was the unsung hero of the Chicago Fire offense, leading the team in assists and putting in a strong work rate, but only tallying three goals of his own. Now, heading into the season’s most important stretch without him, de Leeuw’s coach and teammates know he won’t be easy to replace.
“Listen, I think there are some specifics that can not be replaced,” Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic said. “But all these guys … and everyone in the team this year when they stepped up and they had the opportunity to play I think they did well and they proved that we can count on them.