It’s Monday afternoon and Harry Shipp has grabbed a seat in the departure lounge of Ronald Reagan airport just south of Washington D.C. in Arlington County, Virginia. “Yeah I’ve been here [to D.C.] a bunch the last couple of years so I’ve hit all the main spots.”

Settling into his chair alongside his teammates, he’s granted the time to reflect on Sunday’s 4-0 loss to D.C. United. Another defeat, another scoreless game, the pain is evident in his croaky voice. “This season has been a bunch of lowlights,” he says with a deflated tone. “This season has been exponentially harder for me personally and we’ve struggled to get continuity.”

As a native of Lakewood, Illinois, the 23 year old is a card carrying, dyed in the wool, Chicago Fire fan and consequently a loss hurts him more than most. Dotted around his parent’s house are a number of photos including one of Shipp in a Fire shirt three sizes too big, as well as posters and mementos from a childhood spent following the Fire.

“Do you know who Dema Kovalenko is? He played for the Fire and D.C. United I’ve got one of his [matchworn] jerseys,” Shipp enthuses before he starts to laugh. “I thought it was one of the coolest thing in the world when I got it. It still hasn’t been washed to this day.”

It was in that same house, alongside Kovalenko’s shirt, that Shipp began to display his skills using a mini soccer ball. Sadly for his parents not every shot or pass was on target and he managed to break a number of different things; the consequence of having a soccer mad son. A time that elicits laughs and jokes from Shipp, it also serves as a light-hearted break to our discussion of this season.

It was a campaign that started with three new Designated Player arrivals: David Accam, Kennedy Igboananike and Shaun Maloney. With that came a belief that things were about to change only for the season set to finish with the club sitting in last place. Add to that the departure of Maloney – back to England and the comfort of the Championship with Hull City - and positives seem scarce.

“I’m much more similar to Shaun than those other two guys,” Shipp explains. “When he was here I spent a lot of time talking to him and trying to learn from him. After the game we would dissect it and we would often come to the same conclusion on where things went wrong and where things went right. Just getting that confirmation that I’m seeing the game in the same way as a guy that played at such a high level gave me some confidence. It was unfortunate he’s not here anymore but those six or eight months definitely helped me.”

Nestled within in his learning process is personal reflection and evaluation. Shipp’s debut season in MLS was impressive despite the fact the team finished ninth in the Eastern Conference. “I’ve learned a lot about myself in the last year,” he says. “I think last year I allowed myself to get a little too satisfied with how I did individually and I didn’t put how the team did first. I’ve realised what will make me truly happy is the team being successful and being in the play-offs.”

Despite the struggles few Fire fans will contest that Shipp is a major asset to the team and something of a unique breed in the league. He’s the first to admit he’s not the biggest nor the quickest in MLS, but with such a mental sharpness he continues to find success on the pitch. In particular, his positioning and ability to use the ball in smart ways on the field sets him apart from other young midfielders.

“I’ll watch games and I focus on one guy that I think I’m similar to,” he explains. “I’ve spent a lot of time in college watching Andrés Iniesta Youtube videos, Luka Modric YouTube videos, Cesc Fabregas videos. Those are guys I’m trying to find not just their goals and assists but their little touches and seeing how good they are during the whole 90 minutes.”

When watching those games at the Bernabéu , the Nou Camp, or Stamford Bridge it’s hard not to be enticed by the allure of playing in Europe. A move across the Atlantic is very attainable for Shipp. However any eagerness to relocate is cast alongside a strong emotional link to his boyhood club and the coaching that club legends provided him during his youth, moulding him into the player he is today.

“I was fortunate enough growing up that right after he got done playing Frank Klopas was my club coach,” Shipp explains. “Hristo Stoichkov, after he was done with the Fire I knew him pretty well from coaching. I was lucky to have guys like that who focused on the technical side of the game. You have a lot of coaches at that age that are focused on having athletic guys but I was around guys from a young age that saw my technical potential despite my physical limitations.”

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