HE is a picture of contentment, and this image will soon be captured on a multitude of smartphones as youngsters gather around ready to make requests for an autograph and a quick photo.

Shaun Maloney had been in the middle of a sentence but broke off to become the centre of attention among budding Chicago Fire fans, the enthusiasm of the Scotland internationalist's congregation unaffected by the heavy rain which has persisted throughout a public training session held annually away from the club's suburban base.

His time out on the pitch was limited having played in a 1-0 home win over New York City FC some 12 hours earlier, but Maloney has stayed behind to practise additional PR drills on the sidelines and help stoke local interest in the Fire.

Attendances at matches have grown steadily since the regular Major League Soccer season started last month yet Fire must continue to be proactive to attract fans given the sporting heavyweights found in other of the city's neighbourhoods. "It's very different here," acknowledges Maloney, a statement that is at odds with the distinctly Caledonian weather.

This is a brief summary of the culture he has discovered since committing to a three-year contract in January and a maxim which Maloney found he would repeat to himself as he sought to settle in MLS. As one of three Designated Players in the squad - signings considered to be outside a franchise's salary cap - Maloney is a significant name on the Fire team sheet and there was notable interest when the wee man arrived in the big city ahead of the new campaign. A MLS camera crew was detailed to follow Maloney around as he explored his new surroundings, the documentary covering his first days in training and even an incidental trip to a record shop.

As a denizen of Glasgow during two spells as a Celtic player the forward was used to having his life viewed through a lens, but there was still a novelty in being cast as a the star of his own reality show. "It was for MLS's own TV station. They are really good people and followed me around the city for a bit, went to training and spoke to the manager and that sort of thing," says Maloney, who scored his first Fire goal in a win over Toronto earlier this month.

"That's not something I'm used to but, over here, nobody would blink an eye . . . I was very well-behaved on camera and they were good guys. One of them was mad into baseball so I am going to try and catch a Cubs game with him. You've got to go to Wrigley Field when you're in Chicago."

His career move continues to resemble a journey of discovery and the Aberdonian is open to the new experiences which lie ahead. It was that private ambition to broaden his horizons which first led Maloney to look beyond the boundaries of British football as he considered a move away from Wigan Athletic during the January transfer window, even resisting an offer to return to the Barclays Premier League with Leicester City. There was also speculation that the forward would agree a third spell with Celtic.

Maloney listens patiently to examples of Scottish footballers who have ventured abroad previously before making a swift return home, sometimes so quickly that their contracts could have been written on the back of a return ticket, but gives no indication that he will follow that trend. His Fire contract will carry him towards his 35th birthday, and he intends to fulfil it.

"I've signed three years here and fully expect to honour that, yeah," says the 32-year-old. "I really like the manager [Frank Yallop], the owner has really gone out of his way to get me here and I'm fully committed to being here. It's only been a couple of months but I'm all settled and absolutely love it so fingers crossed I see those three years out.

"With the Leicester thing, it's a really good club and the manager [Nigel Pearson] was a very, very good man about it. But the lifestyle change was a big part of my decision. You can talk about Scottish players coming here or going abroad generally and not really liking it, but I just wanted something completely different. This is what this is; it is completely different to what it would have been like signing for another British club."

He has chosen to go it alone but his decision to move to the States was not made in isolation. Maloney has been an influential figure for Scotland during the European Championship qualifying campaign and sought the blessing of national team manager Gordon Strachan before starting out for Illinois.

"The older you get within your career you understand how important things are because nothing lasts forever . . . to play for Scotland means everything to me. I had to make sure the national manager was in favour of it and thankfully he was," he says.

Maloney expects to return to his homeland in June as part of the squad to face the Republic of Ireland in a vital Euro 2016 qualifier. It will offer him a chance to reconnect with Scottish football, while he intends to establish a more lasting link after the summer. "Do I keep tabs on football back in Scotland? Massively. Hugely. It's difficult to get the Celtic games here so I'll need to try and sort that out. I think you can join Celtic online and watch the games that way so I'll maybe try and do that next season."

It can wait for now, as youngsters continue to call him over to sign club merchandise. Maloney is gone in a flash, snapped by another eager fan with a smartphone.