For teams that made big personnel changes in the winter, including expansion and non-expansion clubs, the 2020 Secondary Transfer Window represents a difficult proposition.
After a winter that saw Chicago Fire FC appoint a new front office and coaching staff then sign 17 new players, the transfer window has arrived too soon, considering they've played just five matches in 2020. The club hasn't yet been able to properly analyze how the new pieces fit and where the it may require some fresh faces.
“We always have our eyes open in the transfer window, but we want to give these players a chance to play,” head coach Raphael Wicky told media on a video conference call.
The offseason was headlined by acquisitions of Robert Beric, Gaston Gimenez, Ignacio Aliseda, Alvaro Medran, Luka Stojanovic and others. A number of those players arrived late in the preseason, with deals getting finalized, visas processed and travel arranged just before MLS play was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gimenez, Stojanovic and Aliseda weren't with the squad soon enough to start either of their first two games before play was suspended.
“We’ve only played five games. We played with our full roster only at the tournament, so actually three games," Wicky said. "And we had a lot of changes in the winter. We want to give this team a chance, we want to see how they play in the next three months, we want to see how the players develop.
Wicky tinkered with his squad back in March, then at the MLS is Back Tournament, where they had encouraging moments but ultimately failed to advance to the knockout rounds. His team has lined up in both a 4-3-3 formation and 5-3-2, and the club will remain flexible as Wicky searches for the optimal combinations.
“We’re still in the process of finding our best team, that’s just the reality," Wicky said. "That would have been done now in a normal world but it’s a bit different.”
The front office isn't dismissing the transfer market though, and the technical staff will keep their shortlists fresh and ready to pounce on deals as they present themselves, but the Fire aren't in a rush to make additions.
“We’re always talking about positions and profiles and our club has our eyes open for signings, but we don’t need to sign a lot of players," Wicky said.
The Fire resume their season on Thursday against league-leading Columbus Crew SC (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US and MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada).
