The Chicago Fire have signed Dutch striker Sherjill MacDonald as the team's second Designated Player, the club announced on Tuesday.
MacDonald joins the Fire from Belgian side Beerschot AC, where he tallied 15 times in 82 appearances for the Antwerp-based club. The 6-foot, 175-pound forward has also played professionally in the Netherlands and England, and brings international experience and a knack for goal that Chicago have been needing.
“Sherjill is a goalscorer who can hold the ball up, attack with pace and is very technically sound,” Fire head coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. “He has competed at a high level in Europe and will bolster our attack as we make a push toward the MLS Cup Playoffs.”
The 27-year-old Amsterdam native was capped for the Netherlands at the U-21 level, and made his professional debut in 2002 for Belgium’s RSC. Anderlecht, the same club as current US international Sacha Kljestan. MacDonald will begin training with the team on Tuesday, and the Fire front office is excited for his arrival.
“We have followed Sherjill’s career over the course of the last year and we are happy to bring him to Chicago,” said Fire president of soccer operations Javier Leon. “Sherjill adds to our attacking options and is a professional on the field and in the locker room.”
Sherjill joins Uruguayan striker Federico Puppo as DPs on Chicago's roster. He is the fifth DP in Fire history, following Puppo, Nerry Castillo, Freddie Ljungberg and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
