The Chicago Fire are the only expansion team to win MLS Cup, taking home the title in 1998, but ever since it’s been a slow tumble towards the bottom of the league.
They reached MLS Cup two more times in 2000 and 2003, losing both, and took home four US Open Cups and a Supporters’ Shield, all while making the MLS Cup Playoffs in 11 of their first 12 seasons.
Since that run, the Fire have made the playoffs just once in the last seven seasons and became the first team to finish last in back-to-back seasons in 2015 and 2016.
Prior to their last season at the bottom, the Fire brought in general manager Nelson Rodriguez and head coach Veljko Paunovic to turn things around. From the outset it was clear that the two knew it wouldn’t be a quick rebuild, outlining a three-year plan to get back to the top. The first year of that plan was 2016 and we are now a quarter of the way into the second year of that plan, with some promising signs.
The team has collected 15 points in their first 10 games, placing them in the playoff race in a much improved Eastern Conference. The start is their best since the last time they made the playoffs in 2012.
Over the past offseason they acquired core players in central midfielders Dax McCarty and Juninho, along with a star player in Bastian Schweinsteiger. Nemanja Nikolic, also acquired prior to this season, looks to be a consistent goalscorer up top, as he has scored eight goals in his first 10 games. In addition to winger David Accam, it’s clear that the Fire are beginning to take shape.
“We want to try and build something that is sustainable and history has shown that those teams that seem to have 4-5 years of a good run and of sustained success have a core of players that they get to keep together and I think we’re closer to that core,” Rodriguez told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday.
Rodriguez did not single out any specific individuals in that "core," but after years of seeing players come and go, it's safe to say the Fire are now seeking continuity and keeping their best players together.
“We recognize that there is still a long road to travel,” Rodriguez said. “We would like to believe that we are on the right road and we would like to believe that we’re making good progress on that road but we recognize that the group that we have still needs a lot more time together to find itself, to create its own identity.”
Having said that, Rodriguez went on to explain that three-year plan was accelerated with the signings of Juninho and Schweinsteiger.
“I would say that we took opportunities to try and accelerate that plan this year by being nimble and by being prepared. Two examples to me are capturing Juninho’s services because we can’t honestly say we knew he’d be available. But when he was, we were in a position to try and capitalize on it.
“I think the signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger is another one. While he’s a player we had targeted, at the time we had targeted his services and at the time we looked to incorporate him, the initial feedback probably had us thinking that if it was going to happen, it would happen in 2018. Again, I think a little bit of credit in terms of our work and our preparation was such that when the window of opportunity opened to make that 2017 window work, we were able to close it.”
The acceleration has helped results in the interim, but as Rodriguez made clear, there’s still a long way to go. While the central midfield looks solid for years to come, along with striker and the left wing positions, there are still other questions throughout the roster.
Michael de Leeuw got off to a great start last year after coming over in the middle of the season, but has seemed to have lost his spot to Luis Solignac. Targeted Allocation Money was used to sign de Leeuw, but with the acquisition of Schweinsteiger, he seems to be a player who will be forced to play out of position on the right wing in the Fire’s current setup.
Brandon Vincent was selected with the No. 4 pick in the 2016 SuperDraft and appears to be a player with major updside at left back going forward, but the rest of the backline has some question marks.
Michael Harrington has been a solid MLS right back for 10 years, but in today’s MLS, he’s probably not an every-game starter. We saw Drew Conner get a spot start at the position last weekend against the LA Galaxy.
Johan Kappelhof and Joao Meira make up the center back tandem after Jonathan Campbell lost his starting role in the preseason. The veterans are both very comfortable on the ball, but are lacking in terms of the physicality and aerial ability you would want to see in the heart of a defense. Both are also prone to lapses in concentration that allow opponents to get easy chances. Rodriguez agreed that the backline is a place the team would look to improve.
“We’re a little bit light on the backline, we only have three “true” center backs. Finding more competition there I think is good.”
Team depth is also in question, especially after the injury to John Goossens, with few players with proven track records as professionals.
The Fire, like any team, want to make the playoffs this season, but the solution these issues may not come when the secondary transfer window opens on July 10.
“We are not going to rush. We’re going to be patient and methodical with our approach, our assessments, our evaluations,” Rodriguez said when asked about the possibility of acquisitions this summer. “We are probably looking more at January than we are at the summer window. It is very, very difficult to assimilate players in that summer window and have them up to speed and effective in MLS in the same season. If it’s not a truly special opportunity or a special player than I think we stand more of a chance of standing pat than of making of a move.”
With 23 more games this season, it will be a long and winding road for the Fire to reach the playoffs. But the Fire aren’t only looking at this season; the progress of their three-year plan is the one that will really need to be evaluated at the end of 2017.
Where the Fire ultimately end up in the standings at the end of the season is not the ultimate decider on the team's success. With quality players now in place to lead, they can begin to build the rest of the roster into a contender.
If you’re wondering how Rodriguez spends his days, it’s clear what his focus is.
“I spend more time evaluating our current team," he said. "There is no more important player than the one we have. We control the environment of the players we have with the ability to try and make them better or more comfortable. In my opinion, that requires more attention, more focus, more priority. They’re never mutually exclusive because as I earlier said, constructing the roster is an ongoing process.
"It never ends, never. You’re never fully satisfied and you never stop trying to improve.”
