Rookie Gears Up for the Fire

By Tessa Fegen

BRIDGEVIEW, IL - April 24, 2010 –Kwame Watson-Siriboe made his MLS debut on April 3rd in Colorado against the Rapids as he became the first rookie of the 2010 season to not only see the field, but also get the start, and play the entire 90 minutes.

“It was a really good thing, a cool moment for me. Its something you always dream about,” said Watson-Siriboe of his debut. “I wasn’t expecting to start at all. CJ Brown is a veteran player and so fantastic. He was hurt, so I had to step up. It felt good that the coach trusted me to do so.”

The  defender from Chino Hills, California came to the Fire after playing four seasons at the University of Connecticut. The 6-3, 196-pound center back played and started 19 games for the Huskies in 2009 and earned First Team All-Big East honors.

The Huskies are at the top of the rankings as far as college soccer goes. Competing in the Big East Conference, one of the best in the nation, Watson-Siriboe got the experience that would be needed to hang with the big boys in the professional arena. During Watson-Siriboe’s reign at Connecticut, the team went to the NCAA tournament every year, making it to the quarterfinals on two occasions. Watson-Siriboe was named the 2009 Big East Co-Defender of the year his senior year.

“My best memory at UConn was in 2007 when we won the Big East tournament and made it to the Elite 8 of the NCAA’s. The experience, it’s something I’ll never forget.”

Watson-Siriboe described the difference between playing at the college level and playing professionally, “The biggest thing is the speed of play, it’s so much faster at this level. You have to think faster and play faster. Every play you have to be two possessions ahead.”

He was drafted to Chicago in the second round as the 26th overall pick, giving them seven natural defenders on the roster.

His transition to the big city? Smooth so far.“I love Chicago, it’s a really nice city and you can’t beat the shopping.”

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