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MLS Draft Team Recap: Chicago Fire

 Chicago Fire - JPEG

When the Chicago Fire entered the 2011 MLS Draft, the hope was that the rebuilding club would be able to find defensive help to make up for the losses of Wilman Conde and C.J. Brown.

The club's wishes were answered when North Carolina central defender Jalil Anibaba fell to the Fire at the No. 9 pick in the MLS Draft.

The most impressive player at the MLS Combine, Anibaba is the type of centerback capable of building Chicago's defense around, and landing him helped give Chicago a strong draft for the second straight year. The Fire also added a pair of forwards in the third round in Jason Herrick and Davis Paul who could add some depth at a thin position.

SBI caught up with Anibaba after he was drafted. Watch our video interview after the jump (and share your thoughts on Chicago's draft in the comments section below):

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/18777855 w=440&h=292]

Jalil Anibaba Draft from Soccer By Ives on Vimeo.

Comments

  1. Being a messageboard troll is fun! Hahaha.

    I’m just mad at my own miserable life, ignore me…it’s the only joy I get, trust me!

    Reply
  2. He’s from California. Watched him play at Santa Clara and then foliowed his stellar year at unc. He’s a stellar pick for Chicago. Great defender, and a strong leader for his teams. I believe he was captain at both schools. Chicago has a great base at their spine, let’s hope they can pull it together and win.

    Reply
  3. see you at The Globe!

    great pick, great kid. still some work left for the front office, a lot of questions up top.

    back line looking better everyday, KWS and Cory Gibbs

    Reply
  4. KWS & Anibaba are definitely the future on our backline with GK of the future Johnson learning on the job.

    Gotta be strong up the spine and going forward those three spots are looking promising with our rebuilding project.

    Reply
  5. They also got a veteran goalkeeper in Jon Conway to push and mentor Sean Johnson. That is not an insignificant add, and not bad for a low draft pick. Esp. since they had two other 3rd rd picks.

    Reply

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