Michael Stephens is coming home.
The Naperville, Illinois, native, who spent the past year with American coach Bob Bradley at Norwegian Tippeligaen side Stabæk, has been acquired by his hometown Chicago Fire ahead of the 2015 season.
“It’s very exciting,” Stephens said in a club statement. “I’ve been a fan of the club for a long time – since the inaugural season I’ve been following the team. To get this opportunity is something I didn’t think I could pass up. I had a good experience playing with the Fire PDL team, I have connections to the club and to the area so it seemed like a really good opportunity for me.”
“Michael is an experienced player with four valuable seasons as a professional under his belt,” Fire head coach and director of soccer Frank Yallop said in a club statement. “He’s a local product who is familiar with MLS and we’re glad to have him join our team.”
After four years with the LA Galaxy between 2010-2013 (94 appearances) and two MLS Cups (2011 and 2012), Stephens was out of contract and made the jump to Norway to join Bradley, the former US national team coach.
During the 2014 Tippeligaen season, the 25-year-old Stephens made 30 league appearances, tallied seven assists, and scored one goal.
He joins fellow Chicago-area locals Mike Magee, Chris Ritter and Harry Shipp in defending the Fire colors in 2015.
