This all wasn’t supposed to happen so quickly for Chicago Fire homegrown Mauricio Pineda. Going into their season opener, the Fire knew they were in a bit of a pickle. They couldn’t have asked for a tougher contest to start the year as they went on the road to take on the Seattle Sounders, who were only happened to be the reigning MLS Cup champions.
Chicago also had roster issues to deal with. They had made some quality signings in the offseason but several of those players couldn’t play against the Sounders due to visa issues or other complications.