Globetrotting Weiss headed to Chicago on trial

• by Ridge Mahoney  @ridgemax, Jan 27, 2011

[MLS] Florida native Nate Weiss, who has bounced around Israel, Ireland, Serbia, Sweden, Spain, and Latvia since leaving Stetson University, is among the
non-roster invitees to be evaluated by the Fire next week.

Weiss has been training in Sweden after leaving Latvian club FK Jelgava, with which he signed last April and played 20 matches.

A right-sided defender who can also play in midfield, Weiss started his collegiate career at North Carolina State in 2005 and played two seasons before transferring to Stetson. He played 16 games as a junior at Stetson – as a teammate of Eugene Starikov, who now plays at Zenit St. Petersburg and trained with the U.S. team this month at Home Depot Center -- during the 2007 season, then left for Spain and UD Arenal of the third division.

Weiss has since played for Longford Town (Ireland), Adolfsberg IK (Sweden), Hapoel Beersheba (Israel), and FK Jelgava, and has gone on trial with several other teams.

Weiss, 22, is a free agent after declining to renew his deal with Jelgava. He has reportedly drawn some interest from clubs in Sweden including IFK Gothenburg.

The Fire just re-signed right back/centerback Dasan Robinson to a new contract and will conduct fitness tests and medical exams this weekend, with training to begin Monday in Bridgeview, Ill.

Right back Steven Kinney is out until May at least with a ruptured Achilles' tendon that he suffered in the season finale Oct 23 against Chivas USA. He played 13 matches (10 starts) in relief of Robinson last year as a rookie.

A back line that lost Wilman Conde (signed with Mexican club Atlas) and C.J. Brown (retired, now a Real Salt Lake assistant coach) during the offseason has
been revamped by the acquisition of Cory Gibbs in the Re-Entry Draft, the signing of Croatian Josip Mikulic, and selection of North Carolina's Jalil Anibaba in the SuperDraft.