We are only two weeks away from the start of the 2026 MLS seasonwhich the Chicago fire travel to the Houston Dynamo on February 21, and one player looking to leave his mark on proceedings is Jason Shokalook.
Born on September 30, 2002, Shokalook grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and quickly became accustomed to a tough travel schedule. Every Monday and Wednesday his mother would pick him up from school and drive 2.5 hours south to Pittsburgh so he could play hockey, and every Tuesday and Thursday they would drive 2 hours west to Cleveland so he could play football. After almost two years of balancing the two sports, Shokalook decided to prioritize football and emerged as one of the top talents in his region. He earned a scholarship to the University of Akron, where he studied business administration.
“Akron had always been a dream school for me. I wanted to go there, especially because I was in the Cleveland area a lot, and I knew that was where I wanted to go, and I had the opportunity to do that. I wanted to go there and prove myself and give it everything I had, and I’m super grateful for the coaches and all the players I encountered on that journey, because everyone knew how much of a privilege it was to be there,” declared Shokalook in an exclusive World football conversation interview. “Overall it’s just a great school, and I’m super grateful that I had the opportunity to go there.”
After patiently earning his stripes, Shokalook excelled in his 2022 junior season by leading his team in goals (9), points (24), shots (38) and shots on goal (22) in 18 appearances (17 starts). In 2023, he took things a step further, scoring a league-high 14 goals and 5 assists in 17 games for the Zips, in addition to leading all BIG EAST players in shots (83) and points (33). It was enough to see him win the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year award and become a Second-Team All-America honoree and a First-Team All-BIG EAST recipient. And when the collegiate season was over, Shokalook kept himself fit by playing in USL League Two for SC United FC in 2021 and Flint City in 2023.
As one of 44 players to receive an invite to the annual adidas MLS College Showcase in Phoenix, Shokalook was able to take advantage of his opportunity and increase his draft stock. A week later, he was told that the Chicago Fire had selected him with the 35th pick of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. Just like others Michael John TateShokalook has been able to turn his passion for football into a full-time career, but that doesn’t mean his journey hasn’t been without its share of bumps. Shokalook spent his first season in Chicago playing in MLS Next Pro where he scored 3 goals and 3 assists in 27 appearances for their reserves in the 2024 season. However, he remained a benchwarmer throughout the season as David Poreba led the way, taking home the competition’s Golden Boot and Golden Ball with 18 goals in the season. With Poreba moving to the first team, all signs pointed to Shokalook stepping into the void and becoming their next attacking mastermind under new manager Mike Matkovich, who replaced Ludovic Taillandier at the helm in the off-season.
“I think David Poreba is a great player. Watching him and playing with him in 2024, seeing how he trained and how much he deserved that Golden Boot, it clearly showed me that I can do it. I didn’t go into it thinking there was that extra pressure, but I would say it definitely inspired me to try and get it, go do it. It showed me it’s possible.”
However, Shokalook would miss the opener before coming off the bench in their next three games, prompting him to have a conversation with Matkovich, who told him he would give him a chance, and if he doesn’t take it, that’s his business. Shokalook started in a 5-0 loss at Huntsville City before dropping to the bench against Toronto, but he returned to the XI and opened his account in a 5-1 win vs. Orlando, followed by a goal contribution in each of his next four games. This was reflected in his first, and so far only, MLS appearance, with Shokalook coming on in the final seconds and assisting Brian Gutiérrez on the last-second goal in a 7–1 win at DC United. He continued to build on his momentum and eventually won the competition’s Golden Boot with twenty goals in the competition after scoring 8 goals in the final four regular season games of the campaign, in addition to a brace in their extra-time defeat to the New York Red Bulls reserves in the quarterfinals of the MLS Next Pro Playoffs.
“The Golden Boot is a super special award for me, especially as a striker. I think at the beginning of this year I set out to take it on and become the leading goal scorer of MLS Next Pro… I set that goal for myself. I think that’s a testament to my whole story: I didn’t play much in my first five or six games, I was fighting for a spot, working on coming off the bench. And then the goals just started coming, so when I achieved that feat, I knew everything I had to do I am certainly so grateful that I received the reward. It was super special for me, but also for my family.”
After establishing himself as one of the best strikers in MLS Next Pro and as a finalist for the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro MVP AwardShokalook will continue his progress in America’s top soccer league after becoming the fourth Chicago Fire FC II player to sign an MLS contract with Chicago’s first team, signing a contract through the 2026 season with club options for 2027 and 2028. He has had an odyssey that has taken him from Pennsylvania to Ohio, South Carolina, Michigan and Illinois, but now he is ready to make his mark in the Windy City and Chicago to success to suffer Gregg Berhalter.
“Overall, I love the city of Chicago. I think there’s a super great energy in the city. The people are all super nice. But it’s definitely a big change coming from Erie, Akron, Flint, Columbia, all these kind of cities, to come into a huge city. When I first got here I was a little blown away by the big buildings and how much was going on and everything, but I think like with anything, you just have to adapt. It really feels like home. city to me, and I really enjoy what it’s all about, and I’m just super grateful to be able to play football in a great city like this. There’s nothing better than that, you know?
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