BRIDGEVIEW, Ill.(Jan. 14, 2019) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club today selected three players over the final two rounds of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, held via conference call. The Fire selected defenders Ebenezer Ackon (53rd overall) and Grant Stoneman (55th overall) in the third round, before selecting forward Mark Forrest (77th overall) with the club’s fourth-round selection.
“Today’s selections were made with the future in mind,” said Chicago Fire Soccer Club President and General Manager Nelson Rodriguez. “We believe each of the three players selected today has a chance to make our roster but likely require some grooming in advance.”
In two seasons with Bowling Green State University, Ackon made 19 appearances (17 starts) as a defender, tallying five goals and three assists. During his senior season in 2018, Ackon was named to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team and the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Third Team. A native of Cape Coast, Ghana, Ackon led the team in scoring in 2018, tallying five goals. Ackon also spent one season with Lansing United in USL League Two, formerly known as the Premier Development League (PDL), and was named to the All-Central Conference Team in 2018.
A native of St. Charles, Ill., Stoneman spent the past three seasons (2016-18) with Loyola University Chicago after beginning his collegiate career with the University of Wisconsin in 2014. Stoneman made 53 appearances (53 starts) across all three seasons for Loyola University, tallying seven goals and one assist. While playing with the Ramblers, Stoneman became the first player in program history to earn First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) honors on three occasions (2016-18). Additionally, in his senior season in 2018, Stoneman was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year.
Across four seasons (2015-18) with Lehigh University, Forrest made 73 appearances (66 starts), tallying 41 goals and 21 assists during that stretch. Forrest’s senior season featured a noteworthy ending to his four-year collegiate career. In 2018, the Douglassville, Pa., native was named a First-Team All-Atlantic Region honoree by the United Soccer Coaches, a First-Team Senior CLASS All-American and the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive year.
