THE BASICS:
- Chicago Fire
- Eastern Conference
- Home: Toyota Park
HONORS:
- MLS CUP: 1998
- Supporters' Shield: 2003
- U.S. Open Cup: 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006
CHICAGO-FIRE.COM:
Chicago has enjoyed a rich soccer history dating back to the days of the Chicago Sting and the Chicago Power. Buoyed by success in the early days of MLS, the Fire are progressively gaining traction in a sports mad town. Failure to make the playoffs has frustrated the fanbase in recent years, but there is renewed optimism surrounding the Fire after a busy offseason in which they made some marquee signings.
Rivals
Geographically, the Colombus Crew and Sporting Kansas City would be the closest rivals, but most Fire fans would consider FC Dallas and the LA Galaxy the club's biggest rivals after contesting several playoff battles in MLS' early years. More recently, playoff encounters with D.C. United and the New England Revolution have rattled the bones of the Chicago support, but the club's recent lack of success has dulled those rivalries somewhat.
2014 Recap
Last season is one most Fire fans would like to quickly forget as the team underwhelmed in head coach Frank Yallop's first year at the helm. Stuttering from one draw to another, the team set a Major League Soccer record with 18 ties against just six wins, dropping them to ninth spot in the East. Positives from the year were the emergence of Homegrown rookie Harry Shipp, the continued rise of goalkeeper Sean Johnson and a breakthrough season for striker Quincy Amarikwa.
TRANSACTIONS IN:
- M Collin Fernandez (Homegrown)
- F Kennedy Igboananike (transfer from AIK)
- D/M Joevin Jones (transfer from W Connection)
- M Michael Stephens (free)
- D Eric Gehrig (trade from Orlando City)
- F David Accam (transfer from Helsingborgs)
- D Patrick Doody (Homegrown)
- D Adaílton (transfer from Bahia)
- F Guilherme do Prado (free)
- M Shaun Maloney (transfer from Wigan)
- M Alex (re-signed)
- GK Jon Busch (free)
- D Matt Polster (SuperDraft)
TRANSACTIONS OUT:
- M Logan Pause (retired)
- F Robert Earnshaw (option declined)
- F Matt Fondy (option declined)
- D Marco Franco (option declined)
- D Patrick Ianni (option declined)
- M Benji Joya (loan expired)
- D Hunter Jumper (option declined)
- D Steven Kinney (option declined)
- M Victor Pineda (out of contract)
- D Gonzalo Segares (option declined)
- F Florent Sinama-Pongolle (option declined)
- M Grant Ward (loan expired)
- D Bakary Soumare (Re-Entry Stage 2 Draft)
- M Sanna Nyassi (Re-Entry Stage 2 Draft)
- F Juan Luis Anangono (transfer to Universidad de Guadalajara)
- GK Kyle Reynish (traded to New York Red Bulls)
2015 Prospectus
The arrival of three exciting Designated Players has breathed new life into the Fire and transformed the optimism levels among the fanbase. Yallop has overhauled his roster with 12 new additions, and how quickly those new players begin to produce will be key to the Fire's ambitions. Shaun Maloney won't score the number of goals Robbie Keane has for LA, but fans should expect him to have a similar positive impact in terms of creativity, confidence and influence on those around him. David Accam and Kennedy Igboananike are relatively unknown quantities, but their potential is massive and they could be a huge hit in MLS.
LEAGUE SOURCE:
"David Accam and Kennedy Igboananike have pace and will be a handful for MLS teams to deal with. The kid Maloney will be another guy that will be an MLS-effective player. They've bolstered their attack in a major way."
LEAGUE SOURCE:
"Like Toronto, you have questions with their defense — for sure. They got rid of a few center backs and they're trying to patchwork a back line together."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
PROJECTED LINEUP: 4-5-1
Johnson; Jones, Adailton, Larentowicz, Palmer; Shipp, Ritter, Watson, Maloney-Accam; Igboananike
Complete roster [chicago-fire.com]
FANTASY SOCCER
SLEEPER PICKS:
If you're looking for bargains, it's worth taking a chance on the Fire, who only have three players priced at or above $8m. There's a reason for that, though. Nobody really knows what to expect in the Windy City. The safe bets are Shipp and Jeff Larentowicz at $7.5m.
Armchair Analyst's Best Case Scenario
Let's give them a little credit: they set a record! Posting 18 draws in a season is pretty damn remarkable, and – for all the team's other faults – speaks to an ability to keep the game tight no matter the opponent or venue. The Fire were ugly, but they weren't roadkill.
Thus, switching the formation and adding so many new pieces is a real risk. I'm conflicted as to whether or not this team will move forward (because of increased talent) or backward (because of lack of chemistry and balance). The central midfield is particularly troubling, with either untested youngsters or nondescript journeymen looking likely to start in spots where contenders play guys like Ozzie Alonso, Juninho and Jermaine Jones. That's one area of the pitch where no team can afford to lose the battle every week, but given the talent gap... I mean, I'm not counting on the Fire dominating a lot of games from stem to stern.
They'll need to be lethal on the counter, solid in the back, and reliable on set pieces. If that happens, they'll be well in the fight for a playoff spot, but still far off the Eastern Conference leaders.
