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Chicago Fire Reportedly Sign CB Sam Rogers

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By Joe Chatz | Last updated Jan 12, 2025 10:49 PM ET

The Chicago Fire have reportedly added another defender into the fold just before their preseason camp kicks off on Monday.

Chicago has signed center back Sam Rogers from Lillestrøm in Sweden’s Eliteserien, according to Tom Bogert.

Rogers, 25, signed with Seattle Sounders 2 in 2017 days before he graduated high school and made 62 starts over four USL Championship seasons while the club rebranded to Tacoma Defiance, but he’s travelled a lot since then.

The center back signed with former USL Championship side OKC Energy in 2021 before he joined HamKam in Norway’s second tier after a few months in Oklahoma. His performance at HamKam impressed those at Rosenborg in Norway’s top tier, signing him permanently and he made 34 league starts over the next two seasons.

Rogers signed with Lillestøm just before the end of the summer window in 2023 but never found his footing with LSK, having since had loan stints with HamKam (again) and Aalesund.

Sources: Chicago Fire sign American center back Sam Rogers from Lillestrøm SK.

Rogers, 25, has one cap with the USMNT. The former Seattle Sounders academy product has featured for Rosenborg, HamKam and more. pic.twitter.com/x0Y0zNGymD
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) January 13, 2025

The 6-foot-3 defender is the second center back to sign with the Fire this offseason after they signed Jack Elliott in December. Rogers’ only United States Men’s National Team cap came in the January 2023 window when new Chicago Fire director of football and head coach Gregg Berhalter was the USMNT head coach.

It wouldn’t be farfetched to believe the only coach to give him a senior national team cap would also believe he can resurrect a career that has recently fallen off the tracks.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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