The Tweet and the Lowdown:
The Fire are younger and – according to some players – more focused. Will that be enough for Chicago to bounce back from a rough 2010?
Setting the Scene:
The Chicago Fire’s 2010 season was an exercise in frustration. The team – which was a mere penalty-kick shootout away from reaching MLS Cup in 2009 – regressed tremendously, finishing in 10th place in the league and failing to make the postseason for just the second time in franchise history.
First-year head coach Carlos de los Cobos came up short in his bid to bring an attacking, attractive system of soccer to Toyota Park. The team couldn’t put it together on offense and Designated Players Freddie Ljungberg and Nery Castillo didn’t make much of an impact in the final third. Things weren’t much better on defense, where the team often conceded late in games and made simple, glaring mistakes.
[inlinenode:316522]Chicago did make significant changes this offseason, as 11 players – including Ljungberg and Castillo – left the Windy City. The Fire have brought in 10 new players to replace them (they’ll add more as preseason wraps up) and they’re hoping that the new blood brings new results.
Whether that happens will depend on the play of some new forwards and if the team can adapt to a planned change in formation.
Key Changes:
Players in: Cory Gibbs (Re-Entry Stage 2), Daniel Paladini (Carolina RailHawks), Josip Mikulic (NK Zagreb, Croatia), Jalil Anibaba (North Carolina), Davis Paul (University of California), Jon Conway (Toronto), Gastón Puerari (Montevideo Wanderers, Uruguay), Diego Cháves (Nacional, Uruguay), Alex Dufty (AC St. Louis), Marko Maric (Skoda Xanthi FC, Greece)
Players out: C.J. Brown (retired), Krysztof Krol (loan expired), Brian McBride (retired), Peter Lowry (Portland), John Thorrington (Vancouver), Collins John (waived), Wilman Conde (Atlas, Mexico), Freddie Ljungberg (Celtic, Scotland), Andrew Dykstra (waived), Deris Umanzor (waived), Nery Castillo (sent on loan to Aris)
Star Attraction: Marco Pappa
The 23-year-old Guatemalan showed flashes in 2009, but late season struggles kept him a notch below the league’s marquee names. That changed in 2010, when Pappa led the Fire in scoring with seven goals and placed third on the team in assists with five.
WATCH: Changes at forward for Fire
This season will be tougher on Pappa, as opposing defenses will key in on him more and more, but that won’t matter to de los Cobos, who will be counting on the 2010 All-Star to continue his stellar play this season.
Unsung Hero: Bratislav Ristic
The 31-year-old Serb didn’t see that much of the field last year (he only played in eight matches after signing with the team in mid-September) but he had a big impact when he did. The versatile midfielder/defender played defensive mid, winger and outside back last year, performing solidly everywhere he went. While he’s never going to lead the Fire in goals or assists, his no-nonsense attitude and consistent play all over the pitch are valuable assets that shouldn’t be overlooked.
[inlinenode:327214]Ready for Primetime: Sean Johnson
Sure, Johnson earned numerous accolades and a call-up to the US national team camp in 2010, but that doesn’t mean the second-year keeper is already “primetime.” The 21-year-old still has plenty of room for improvement and if the new look Fire want to avoid a repeat of their dismal 2010, he’ll need to continue progressing.
The good news for Chicago is that Johnson looks poised to do just that. He had a big offseason, getting his first senior cap in the US’ January friendly against Chile and training and playing in several matches on the Generation adidas tour to Spain. He feels like he’s a better player – maybe even one that will have a breakout year.
Storylines to Watch:
Make no mistake about it: De los Cobos is on the hot seat. His first season in Chicago was a struggle and if the team doesn’t improve in 2011 – the last year of his contract – it could cost him his job.
The Fire have used a 3-5-2 formation extensively this preseason and it appears that they’ll continue to do so when First Kick rolls around on March 19. How Chicago adapt to the new formation – they used a 4-1-4-1 for much of last year – will go a long way in determining if they return to the playoffs in 2011.
WATCH: Nyarko, Pause Gibbs, Mikulic dissect their roles in 3-5-2
A lot of eyes will also be on the Fire’s forwards; a group headlined by Uruguayan newcomers Gastón Puerari and Diego Cháves. The two South Americans and the rest of the Fire’s cast of strikers have to do better than last year’s group, which totaled a measly 12 goals in 2010.
What He Said:
“I feel very good about this year. We all worked very hard in the offseason, traveling all around the world, developing some contacts and bringing some good young players in. I feel good with where we are now and I think we’ll have a good season.”
– Technical director Frank Klopas
If Everything Goes Right:
Chicago finish second in the Eastern Conference. The team can’t match conference favorites New York in terms of talent, but they could challenge for second in what figures to be a relatively wide open Eastern race. If the Fire can hold it together in the back and get good production from Puerari and Cháves up top, they could seriously surprise some people.
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