Lansing Ignite FC, mid-Michigan's new professional soccer team, will have a Major League Soccer affiliation for the 2019 season.

And that MLS team, the Chicago Fire, will travel to Lansing to play an exhibition match in September.

The Ignite, ahead of its inaugural season in USL League One, has formed an alliance with the Fire, a move designed for the clubs to share resources and players.

With the partnership comes two exhibition matches: Lansing will travel to Chicago this Saturday afternoon for a friendly, and the Fire will play LIFC at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24 at Cooley Law School Stadium.

Lansing opens its regular season March 30 in Richmond, Virginia, against the Richmond Kickers. The same two teams will meet in Lansing's home opener at 7 p.m. April 13 at Cooley.

Besides an MLS team traveling to Lansing for a match, the alliance also means that Chicago will provide LIFC players from its roster via player loans, providing MLS-level talent for coach Nate Miller and his squad.

Chicago does not have a direct reserve team in the lower leagues – in fact, only six MLS teams do (Atlanta, New York Red Bulls, Toronto, LA Galaxy, Portland, Seattle) – so that allows the Fire to secure a partnership with another unaffiliated club.

“This alliance is extremely important for us as we strive to give our players a clear pathway to the top of the pyramid,” Miller said. “Each club also has a tangible way of assisting the other, making it fundamental to work together at the highest possible level.”

Ignite vice president/general manager Jeremy Sampson said he expects the Fire to send a rotation of players to Lansing throughout the season. Examples of players Chicago loans to Lansing could be players coming off an injury and needing to get back into game shape, or roster players who are healthy and simply need game time.

The Sept. 24 exhibition is part of the Ignite's season-ticket package and comes at no extra charge. Single-game tickets are available for purchase online and at the stadium box office.

“The alliance not only provides our team with exposure to the highest levels of the game in the United States but also gives the Lansing community an opportunity to see high-quality competition,” Sampson said.

It appeared the first player Chicago would send to Lansing was Canada international Raheem Edwards. Edwards -- who scored four goals in 28 total appearances for Montreal and Chicago last year -- was on the sideline for LIFC's 7-0preseason friendly over Davenport University on March8, but didn't play. But now, Edwards is back with Chicago, and he scored a goal in its 4-2 loss to Seattle over the weekend.

Rumors of a Chicago Fire-Lansing Ignite alliance leaked out back on Jan. 8, courtesy of Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez. But it took more than two months to finalize the deal.

Appearing on “ExtraTime Radio,” Rodriguez mentioned the possibility of selecting players specifically for Lansing in the MLS SuperDraft, which took place on Jan. 11 and Jan. 14.

“We may draft in concert with them for players that we like who may not have a role for us this year, but (Lansing) would also need and use,” Rodriguez said.

The Fire drafted three players: Ebenezer Ackon, a defender from Bowling Green; Grant Stoneman, a defender from Loyola (Illinois); and Mark Forrest, a forward from Lehigh.

Two of those players have Lansing ties, and although it appeared there would be a direct tie-in to LIFC on draft day, that didn't necessarily come to fruition.

Stoneman -- who played for Lansing United in 2016 -- is a Lansing Ignite player, his signing announced on Jan. 31. However, he did not sign with Chicago and was not loaned to LIFC. Even though the Fire chose not to sign Stoneman, it retains Stoneman's MLS rights for two years.

Ackon also has Lansing ties, playing for Miller and United in 2018. However, neither the Fire nor Lansing signed him, and he inked a contract with San Antonio FC in USL Championship.

Contact digital sports reporter Phil Friend at 517-377-1220 or pfriend@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Phil_Friend.

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