CHICAGO (Aug. 29, 2025) – Chicago Fire FC defender Leonardo Barroso has been called to the Portugal U-21 National Team for the first matches of 2027 Under-21 EURO qualifying.
Barroso and Portugal were drawn into Group B of the qualifying tournament, along with Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czechia, Gibraltar and Scotland. Portugal will host Azerbaijan at 1:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 5, at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos in Barcelos, Portugal. The team then travels to face Scotland at 1:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at Fir Park Stadium in Motherwell, Scotland.
The young Portuguese defender joined Chicago after spending the past two seasons with Sporting CP B of Sporting Lisbon. He made his MLS debut on the road against FC Dallas on March 8, where he also scored his first MLS goal. He has played in 17 matches (10 starts) for the Fire so far this season, also registering an assist as a defender.
Barroso has represented Portugal from the U-15 through the U-20 youth national teams. Most notably, Barroso represented Portugal at the 2022 UEFA Under-17 Euros, helping to guide the squad to the tournament semifinals. Barroso played every minute of the tournament for Portugal before falling 7-8 in penalty kicks to eventual champion France. He also represented the Portugal U-20 squad in five matches of the European Elite League, scoring the lone goal as a right back in the team’s 2-1 win against Poland.
