CHICAGO (Sept. 22, 2025) – Chicago Fire FC today announced that the Club has signed defender Jonathan Dean, goalkeeper Jeff Gal and winger Chris Mueller to new contracts.
“Our strategy is to establish a consistent core group of players throughout our squad,” said Chicago Fire FC Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. “All three veteran players have an important role with the Club and we can count on them to deliver again for us next season.”
Defender Jonathan Dean
Dean, 28, is now under contract with the Fire through 2027, with a Club option for 2028. He joined Chicago in 2023 after spending three seasons with USL Championship side Birmingham Legion. He has made 76 appearances for the Men in Red, including 71 MLS regular season, two Leagues Cup, and three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matches. In 2025, Dean has started a season-high 16 times in 25 appearances and registered 1,460 minutes for Chicago.
Originally drafted 39th overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by Orlando City, Dean joined Birmingham in February 2020. With Birmingham, he played in 81 matches across all competitions under head coach and former Fire assistant coach Tom Soehn.
Transaction: Chicago Fire FC signs defender Jonathan Dean to a new contract. Dean is now under contract with the Fire through 2027, with a Club option for 2028.
Name: Jonathan Dean
Position: Defender
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 159 lbs.
Date of Birth: May 15, 1997
Hometown: Macon, Georgia
Birthplace: Macon, Georgia
Citizenship: USA
Last Club: Birmingham Legion (USL Championship)
Goalkeeper Jeff Gal
Gal, 32, is under contract with the Club through the 2026 season, with a Club option for 2027. He made his Major League Soccer debut with the Chicago Fire earlier this season, coming on just before halftime and sharing the shutout against Orlando City SC on May 3 at Soldier Field. Gal has played a career-high seven games for the Fire in 2025, registering 10 saves and one clean sheet.
Gal joined the Fire in January 2023, returning to the Chicagoland area after spending his entire career in Sweden. The Bartlett, Ill., native appeared in 75 matches across all leagues and competitions in Sweden, including 14 matches in the Allsvenskan, the topflight of Swedish football, and five matches in the Svenska Cupen, the qualifying tournament for the UEFA Europa Conference League. A Chicago-area native, Gal played club soccer at Chicago Sockers under long-time Academy Director David Richardson and trained at Bridges FC under former Chicago Sting and Chicago Power player Bret Hall.
Transaction: Chicago Fire FC sign goalkeeper Jeff Gal to a new contract. Gal is under contract with the Fire through 2026, with a Club option for 2027.
Name: Jeff Gal (GAHL)
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 165
Date of Birth: April 6, 1993
Hometown: Bartlett, Illinois
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Citizenship: USA
Last Club: Degerfors IF (Sweden)
Winger Chris Mueller
Mueller, 29, is now under contract with the Club through the 2026 season, with a Club option for 2027. Chicagoland native Mueller originally joined the Fire on May 5, 2022, and immediately jumped into action, starting in 23 of the 24 matches in which he played. Mueller has appeared in 61 matches for the Men in Red since 2022, scoring six goals and registering three assists. Mueller was recently placed on the Season-Ending Injury list for the remainder of 2025 after being diagnosed with pericarditis earlier this year.
Originally from Schaumburg, Ill., Mueller is a product of Sockers FC Chicago before he attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He began his professional career in 2018 when he was selected by Orlando City SC as the sixth overall pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. At the international level, Mueller has earned two caps (one start) with the U.S. Men’s National Team, scoring two goals in a 6-0 friendly win over El Salvador on Sept. 12, 2020.
Transaction: Chicago Fire FC sign winger Chris Mueller to a new contract. Mueller is under contract with the Fire through 2026, with a Club option for 2027.
Name: Chris Mueller
Position: Winger
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 163 lbs.
Date of birth: August 29, 1996
Hometown: Schaumburg, Illinois
Birthplace: Schaumburg, Illinois
Citizenship: USA
Previous Club: Hibernian F.C.
