Chicago Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos confirmed recent reports out of Serbia that the club had been scouting players in the Balkan nation.
“[Technical director] Frank Klopas and I traveled to Europe and were there for nearly 15 days,” he said in Thursday’s edition of FutbolMLS.com’s Tiro Libre Spanish-language podcast. “We saw various players and yes, we’re analyzing the possibility of bringing a player from that zone, that part of the world.”
The Mexican gaffer, however, didn’t want to jump the gun and warned that nothing is set in stone.
“There’s nothing concrete,” he said. “We were in Belgrade, saw the facilities of the two great Serbian teams that are Partizan and Red Star, and there’s a possibility of maybe bringing a player from those teams. But nothing’s confirmed. I don’t want to generate any expectations while nothing’s concrete.”
LISTEN: De los Cobos on FutbolMLS.com's Tiro Libre
The addition of one or more players from the Serbian powers would go a long way in bolstering a Chicago squad decimated by the recent exits of six players. Since the end of the season, the Fire witnessed the departures of defenders Wilman Conde and C.J. Brown, midfielders Peter Lowry and John Thorrington, and forwards Collins John and Brian McBride.
[inline_node:305382]Chicago plugged up one of those voids with the signing of defender Cory Gibbs on Wednesday minutes after picking him in the second stage of the Re-Entry Draft. To fill in the remaining gaps, de los Cobos expects the younger members on the team to step up and produce more, as well as the addition of some new players to beef up the roster.
“It’s always necessary to strengthen squads," he said. "We’re in the process of finding what we need knowing that we must have a good start in the upcoming season. We’re going to strengthen every line on this team – the midfield, the back line and the attack – because it’s really necessary to do so.
De los Cobos added that the experience he gained in his first season as a coach in MLS will go a long way in fortifying the team. Having had a year to adapt to the league and the teams, and having had a year to get to know his own team, he feels the second season will be much better than the first.
“We’re going to have a different team,” he said. “The coming one will be more competitive because … I’ve had the chance to live here for one year, to learn in this league, to experiment in this league. Logically, my view is much clearer for the second season. Therefore, I trust we’ll have a very good season.”
The biggest key for the Fire to excel in 2011? Consistency. The club was marred by a lack of it throughout this season, uncharacteristically missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
With the 2011 campaign just a few months away, de los Cobos wants to make sure that the Men in Red will be more than capable of fighting for a piece of silverware.
“We’re working hard, already trying to structure how the coming tournament will go for us,” he said. “The last season wasn’t a successful one. We know there are areas we have to improve and are working towards that … to have an extremely competitive team.”
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