CHICAGO (Feb. 13, 2026) – Chicago Fire FC today announced that the Club has loaned Homegrown midfielder Sam Williams to USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC for the 2026 regular season.Â
Williams, 20, joined the Chicago Fire first team following the Club’s acquisition of his Homegrown rights from the New York Red Bulls on March 14, 2025. Prior to the transaction, Williams first joined Chicago Fire FC II in January 2025 from the University of North Carolina. He kicked off the 2025 MLS regular season with the Fire on Short-Term Agreements, making his Major League Soccer debut against D.C. United on March 1 in the Club’s home opener at Soldier Field. In his rookie year, the New Jersey native appeared in seven MLS regular season matches, starting three of them, while also featuring in 15 MLS NEXT Pro matches and two MLS NEXT Pro Playoff contests for Chicago Fire II. Â
The midfielder began his soccer career as a member of the New York Red Bulls Academy, where he became the first graduate to reach 2,000 minutes for New York Red Bulls II during the 2022 USL Championship regular season at just 17. He then attended the University of North Carolina, where he was named to the 2022 All-ACC Freshman and All-ACC Academic Teams before becoming one of only two NCAA players to be named to a U.S. U-19 Men’s Youth National Team January training camp in 2023.Â
Transaction: Chicago Fire FC loans midfielder Sam Williams to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC for the 2026 season.
