CHICAGO (Jan. 19, 2016) – The Chicago Fire selected two players on the second day of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, selecting defender/midfielder Vincent Keller (pictured, above) in the third round (57th overall) and midfielder Vincent Mitchell in the fourth round (62nd overall).
Keller joins the Fire from Creighton University, where he appeared in 82 games throughout his collegiate career, scoring three goals and adding 10 assists. Keller earned First Team All-Big East Conference honors in his senior season. A native of Freiburg, Germany, Keller was part of the SC Freiburg team that won the DfB Pokal (German Cup) in 2011 and also appeared for Bahlinger SC.
"Vincent is a versatile player," said general manager Nelson Rodriguez. "He's very intelligent, very competitive, incredibly well-spoken as an individual and comes from a great school in Germany and had a great coach at Creighton. We believe he can play centerback or right back, although we likely view him more as a right back."
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Mitchell, from Reckford Clarendon, Jamaica, began his collegiate career at Concordia College in Alabama, where he was named USCAA First Team All-American before transferring to Butler University prior to the start of the 2013 season. Mitchell appeared in 51 games for the Bulldogs, scoring 18 goals and adding eight assists. Mitchell’s 11 goals in his senior season earned him First Team All-Big East Conference honors in 2015.
"We think Vincent can play along different spots in the attack with very good pace and a nose for goal," Rodriguez said. "He has the ability to beat guys off the dribble, a dynamic that we think we needed to add."
The Fire are scheduled to begin 2016 preseason training on Monday, Jan. 25 in Chicago.
