Kelly Gray is living the carefree college lifestyle–without all those annoying classes. And he’s getting a regular paycheck.
Life is good.
Gray, a rookie on the Fire, has played like anything but a rookie, starting five of the team’s first six games. Perhaps he has adapted to Major League Soccer so quickly because his off-field life hasn’t changed, except for the zip code.
When Gray, then finishing up at the University of Portland, got word the Fire was interested in picking him in the first round of February’s draft, he called his childhood buddy Joey Randesi. His pal from San Jose, Calif., just happens to attend Loyola.
“As soon as the official word came out I called him and it was set up from there,” Gray said.
“It” was Gray’s life in Chicago, which is remarkably similar to the one he had in Portland.
“It’s really not that much different,” said Gray, who turned 21 on April 7. “The biggest difference is that there are no classes and I have a lot of free time to do whatever I want.”
That means sleeping a lot and ordering takeout in the Rogers Park apartment he shares with Randesi, Danny Herbst, Vadim Tsesarski and Adam Hitchman. All four play soccer at Loyola.
“I knew he would fit in right away,” Hitchman said.
Gray has been a boon to their social life as well. The roommates hang out at bars that attract Fire fans. Hitchman said women are “star-struck” with Kelly.
“It made such a difference having my friend here,” Gray said. “It got me into the social scene. I’ve made a lot of new friends at Loyola. I’m so thankful for that. [Randesi is] going home for the summer and now I have a nice group of friends I can hang out with over the summer.”
During the spring Gray has hung out with the Fire’s starting lineup. In his first five games, he played defense, filling in for the injured Carlos Bocanegra, Jim Curtin and C.J. Brown.
With those three back and with the midfield depleted by injuries and national team call-ups, Gray moved into the center of the midfield Saturday against D.C. United. He responded with his first professional assist on the Fire’s opening goal.
He scored his first MLS goal April 20 against the New York/New Jersey MetroStars.
“He’s versatile,” Fire coach Bob Bradley said. “He’s got a real good attitude about everything; nothing fazes him. He handles situations on the field pretty well.”
The Fire acquired Gray through the MLS’ Project-40 plan, which guarantees him a roster spot for the season and means the league would pick up the tab for the rest of his schooling.
Former Polish national team captain Peter Nowak believes it’s just a matter of time before Gray becomes a fixture for the U.S. National team. Gray had 51 appearances with the Under-20 team and trained in January with the Under-23 team.
“Right now he’s [on a path] to get to the national team very fast,” Nowak said. “I’m going to tell him that if he keeps working as hard as he has the last two or three months, for sure he’ll be on the national team next year.”
That’s next year, though. First things first, and that means trying to find a ride. Gray’s car was rear-ended by a semi in Wyoming as his father drove it to Chicago. His dad made it to Chicago, where the car is being repaired, but Gray believes it’s time for a new one anyway.
Two days later, as Randesi was picking Gray up from the airport, Randesi’s car was sideswiped, so neither of them have wheels at the moment. “I’ve learned the L routes very well,” he said.
Fire midfielder Jesse Marsch has been Gray’s personal taxi service to and from practice in Lake Forest and games in Naperville.
Growing up in San Jose, Gray admitted he didn’t know what to expect of the Chicago lifestyle. Aside from waiting for the California-type weather, he has adjusted to the faster pace of life.
“When I was home I would train in the morning and hang out in the afternoon,” he said. “That’s pretty much what I do here. The only difference is everyone around me. It’s a lot faster but I’m still kind of doing the same thing.”
