RISE AND DECLINE
Pineda, Mihailovic called up for U.S. squad; Bronico let go by Fire
Monday brought good news for Fire defender/midfielder Mauricio Pineda and midfielder Djordje Mihailovic.
The developments weren’t as positive for midfielder Brandt Bronico.
Pineda and Mihailovic, both Homegrown players, were summoned by the U.S. national team for its upcoming camp before the game Dec. 9 against El Salvador in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Pineda has never played for the senior national team; Mihailovic has made five appearances and scored a goal.
The game falls outside a FIFA international window, so the 22-man roster is almost entirely made up of MLS players whose seasons are finished.
“Since returning to the field, the focus has been on continuing to build on our foundation and preparing the team for important competitions in 2021,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said in a news release. “We have utilized these opportunities to work with our core group while evaluating young talent in an effort to strengthen our overall player pool.”
As for Bronico, the Fire announced that they were declining the 2021 option on his contract. Eligible to be taken in the MLS re- entry draft, Bronico, 25, appeared in 10 games and made three starts for the Fire this year after playing in 29 games in 2019.
Bronico’s prospects with the Fire were in doubt when the team announced its roster decisions on Nov. 12 and said it was in discussions with him about his future with the club.
“We would like to thank Brandt for his contributions to the club,” Fire sporting director Georg Heitz said in a news release. “He is a true professional, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
For Pineda, 23, who signed his Homegrown deal in January, 2020 figures to be a springboard. He became the Fire’s first Homegrown rookie to start every game and led the team in minutes with 2,022.
The 2020 season didn’t go as smoothly for Mihailovic. He had seven assists and two goals, including a last-second equalizer that gave the Fire a 2-2 draw Oct. 17 against Sporting Kansas City, but he only started 14 of 23 games.
In what coach Raphael Wicky deemed a “technical [and] tactical decision,” he was held out of the decisive 2-0 loss to Vancouver at the MLS is Back tournament even though the Fire needed to score to stay alive.
When asked about his 2020 season after that goal against Sporting Kansas City, Mihailovic, 22, was succinct.
“This 2020 season is just, you know, up and down like every other season,” he said. “There’s highs, there’s lows, and that’s all I got to say about that.”