Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady on the rise

Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady wasn’t going to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before the Cubs’ game Tuesday at Wrigley Field without preparing. Instead of going in cold and winging it, Brady and a friend went out to a baseball field Monday to practice and get the motion down before throwing from the same pitching rubber that Cubs stalwart Kyle Hendricks and Pirates phenom Paul Skenes would toe.

“It’s a really cool experience,” said Brady, a Schaumburg native and Cubs fan who threw a strike to Clark the Cub. “It’s not every day you get to throw out a first pitch for the team you support.”

That dedication isn’t surprising.

In his second full season as the Fire’s No. 1 in net, Brady has taken multiple steps forward. Through last weekend, Brady had the sixth-most saves by any goalkeeper in MLS this season with 93. He has become the Fire’s first homegrown goalie to make 50 starts and is one of five homegrown Fire players to play in 50 MLS regular-season matches.

But even with the impressive start to his career, the 20-year-old goalie is more apt to talk about where he needs to improve. Despite his numbers before Saturday’s match against D.C. United — four shutouts and a 66.4% save percentage — Brady said his 2024 season has been just OK and maybe a little above average.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement, as always,” Brady said.

Brady said he needs to work on his distribution, game management and communication. He acknowledged those skills take time to develop and only come with experience.

There are signs that Brady is getting better at distribution. Last year, he connected on 60.5% of his passes. Through last week, he was at 64%.

And at Brady’s age, improvement can come quick. He said his ability to come for and play crosses and other passes into the box has grown. Brady said he also has made progress playing the space behind the Fire’s back line.

“It’s something that I’m still playing around with, the depth and the height in relation to my center backs,” he said. “I feel rather confident. I feel like my center backs would agree that I cover that space pretty well, especially now.”

To go with his hard work, Brady relishes working with goalkeeping coach Zach Thornton. The starting goalie during the Fire’s glory days, Thornton knows a lot about the challenges Brady faces.

Brady is eager to listen to what Thornton says.

“I’m really grateful he’s able to shed some light on some of the more player-related experiences,” Brady said. “He has goalkeeper-specific opinions that aren’t always shared with a coach who’s just a coach, rather than a coach who was a player. It really helps me and helps with my eyes to the game of goalkeeping from both standpoints because I know he considers both before sharing his opinions with me.

“It’s been a great ride so far, and I’m hoping to push for more by the end of the season.”

That’s the attitude that compelled Brady to prepare for the first pitch.