BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Dominic Oduro hasn’t been in Chicago long, but he already knows one thing about the city: It’s nothing like the warmer confines of Houston.
Oduro, who was acquired in a trade that sent forward Calen Carr to the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday, had a chilly first training session on Thursday morning, when temperatures dipped below 35 degrees at Toyota Park.
Afterwards, the 25-year-old forward – who was bundled up head to toe – joked about the freezing conditions.
“I just want to say that it’s really cold,” he laughed. “I just wanted to put that out there.”
Oduro, however, isn’t feeling as chilly about arriving in Chicago. The Ghanaian striker is excited about joining the Fire and he’s hoping that he can make some “good things happen” for the team.
“I’m excited,” Oduro said. “It’s a great opportunity and a great organization. I played here a couple of times in the past and I always found it really hard to win games here. I’m learning more of what it’s like and I’m looking forward to joining the team and trying to make good things happen.”
Oduro, who trained with the second team in a scrimmage on Thursday, probably won’t crack the Fire’s starting lineup for Saturday’s home opener against Sporting Kansas City. There’s a better chance that he’ll be used off the bench late in the game, when his tremendous speed would be a lot for tired defenders to handle.
“I have speed that really kills defenses,” said Oduro. “Also, I think that I’m able to take defenders on and I try to put myself in the right position to score goals.”
Oduro added that he’s comfortable playing on the wing as well as up top.
“I just want to play, whether it’s on the wing or up front, I think I have the ability to make something happen,” he said. “So either way is fine with me. I’m ready to go.”
Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @samstejskal.
