The 2020 offseason was a scramble for Chicago Fire FC.
After an ownership change, rebrand and stadium relocation, sporting director Georg Heitz wasn't officially hired until mid-December. In turn, head coach Raphael Wicky wasn't appointed until a few days before the turn of the new year, thus just a couple of weeks before preseason. The new sporting group fully embarked upon their offseason tasks long after the rest of MLS.
By the time training camp was about to begin, just two homegrowns and one player from abroad were signed. Another nine players would be acquired, including all three Designated Players, then another five homegrown signings, after mid-January. It was essentially half the roster.
This winter has been far more steady, with only three signings for the 2021 season (so far), all wrapped up and announced three months ago. Compared to 2020, the incoming transfer list is remarkably concise.
“We’re very excited we have a big core of the group back," Wicky told media on a virtual press conference. "We believe in continuity, we believe in this group, that’s why we didn’t change too many players. I’m excited that we’re not starting from scratch like a year ago.”
That continuity and natural progression, with several key tweaks, make Chicago believe they'll finish above the playoff line for just the second time since 2012. They finished 11th in the Eastern Conference standings a season ago, the last team to miss out on a postseason spot.
“We are confident we’ll do better this year than we did last year," said Heitz.
Chicago added Bulgarian winger Stanislav Ivanov, Ecuadorian defender Jhon Espinoza and Nigerian forward Chinonso Offor this winter. They reflect the club's desire to scout globally, leaving no stone unturned when searching for additions.
“I’m really confident (in the signings)," Heitz said. "We knew early what we wanted position-wise, we knew early who we wanted. We established a scouting department early last year, so the new recruits are a result of this.”
In a league with such parity, fine margins profoundly impact positions in the overall table. Chicago dropped 11 points from winning positions in 2020, seventh-most in MLS. They finished one point below the final playoff place, a tough blow in Wicky's first year at the helm.
“The goal of reaching the playoffs is what everybody wants, so we have the same objective as all the other teams,” Wicky said. “We built some really good foundations last year, obviously there’s moments we need to improve. We let by a 2-1 or 1-0 (lead) to draw games. We need to tighten up in the back so there are less moments, maybe on corner kicks or set pieces. But we laid a good foundation last year, we’re able to build upon that this season.”
