Model MLS franchises can sell players to European clubs and win matches. Under owner Joe Mansueto, sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer, the Fire haven’t struck that balance.
The sale Tuesday of striker Jhon Duran to Aston Villa was the Fire’s second eight-figure transaction with an English Premier League team in the last year after goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina’s move to Chelsea. In 2021, the team sent winger Przemyslaw Frankowski to French side RC Lens, granting the Polish attacker an opportunity in another of Europe’s biggest leagues.
