TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Roster Update
Chicago Fire FC and defender Marcelo have mutually agreed to part ways, the club announced Tuesday. Marcelo was signed for a reported €500,000 transfer fee last offseason.
Marcelo, 30, joined the club from Portuguese giants Sporting CP but made just 12 starts in his lone season with the Fire. He made one start in the club's final 16 matches. He spent the majority of his career in Portugal with Rio Ave prior to joining Sporting.
The club now have 16 players under contract ahead of players reporting for training camp on Saturday.
It's been a busy offseason for the Fire, who appointed Georg Heitz as sporting director and Raphael Wicky as head coach. The club have tremendous flexibility, with no Designated Players on the roster as well as ample cap space. Bastian Schweinsteiger retired while the club moved on from fellow key players like Nemanja Nikolic, Aleksandar Katai, Nico Gaitan and Dax McCarty.
Chicago open the 2020 season on March 1 against the Seattle Sounders.