It might have happened later than anyone would have wanted, but Grant Lillard finally made his MLS debut for the Chicago Fire.
The Indiana University product, who was signed to a homegrown deal in the offseason, would’ve been a candidate to start alongside Kappelhoff on opening day. Lillard got plenty of time in preseason, and was impressive throughout. However, a knee injury picked up against the Montreal Impact derailed that possibility. The injury not only ruled Lillard out of the first game against Sporting KC, but forced him to miss the next two contests as well.