Sizing up Chicago Fire’s debut, preseason, WGN-TV deal and more
Well, the wait is over. Will all of the Chicago Fire’s changes pay off and get the club some results?
One match in, the jury says dropping a 2-1 decision Sunday to defending MLS Cup champion Seattle wasn’t horrible. Chicago showed signs of life, but there is still plenty of work to be done.
“I think overall it was a very exciting,” Fire head coach Raphael Wicky said. “From our side, there were a lot of positives. There are a lot of positives to build on. But obviously we’re very disappointed to have lost.”
Chicago held Seattle scoreless in the first half. However, the Fire didn’t score either, technically. The Fire had two goals called back in the first half due to offside calls. On the other end, Chicago goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm and the defense secured the back line, keeping the Sounders in check.
But in the second half, the Fire got on the board just one minute in, when Robert Beric broke the scoreless deadlock. Alvaro Medran sent a long ball into the box. Djordje Mihailovic chested it down toward Beric, who buried a right-footed shot into the net behind Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei for the 1-0 advantage.
In the 46th minute, Jordan Morris entered the match for Seattle. He would be the difference maker, tallying two goals in just over 30 minutes. In the 62nd minute, Morris kicked the ball over Kronholm and into the top netting to even the score. On the final goal, Morris was in the right place at the right time, heading a cross behind Kronholm for the 2-1 advantage at the 90’+3′ mark. Seattle held on for the win.
“We are a good team,” Beric said. “We have to believe in this. I think we showed everybody today that it’s going to be tough to play against us. We have good players. We are one compact team. Today we lost but hopefully in the future things will turn around and it will be better for us.”
Statistically, Seattle outplayed Chicago. But you would expect that. The Sounders outshot the Fire 16-12, sending six balls on target compared to three for Chicago. Kronholm made four saves on the afternoon, while Frei was credited with two. Chicago pushed hard, collecting seven offside calls.
“The team that was here today, they had a great fight, they had a good performance, they had a lot of chances,” Wicky said. “We created a lot of things. I’m happy about that. Now it’s about us continuing to work, taking the positives into the next week and getting points.”
It’s fair to say the passion and excitement are there. Let’s see what they do with the next outing. Chicago will return to action Saturday at New England with a 1:30 ET kickoff.
A LOOK BACK AT PRESEASON
A rebuilt Fire squad finished the preseason with a 3-2-1 record. The Fire topped Nashville SC (3-1), Orange County SC (2-0) and Toronto FC (2-0), while drawing even with the LA Galaxy (1-1). Chicago dropped two decisions to Philadelphia (3-0) and Colorado (4-2).
Elliott Collier, who inked a new contract Feb. 6, led the attack with five goals. Collier, originally selected by Chicago in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, made 17 appearances for the Fire over the last two seasons. Collier split his play with Indy Eleven and Memphis 901 FC. The Fire secured him through 2022. If preseason is any indication, the New Zealand native might eventually earn himself a starting spot.
2019 leading scorer CJ Sapong wrapped up preseason with three goals. 2020 marks Sapong’s 10th season in the league. In his first nine seasons, Sapong tallied 69 goals, including 13 with the Fire last year. Does this veteran striker still have what it takes to lead the club up top? Or will new faces spark the offense? Nicholas Slonina and Michael Azira added to the preseason scoring with one goal apiece. Both players should see some playing time this spring.
As for goalkeeping, all ‘keepers saw quality time during the six preseason matches. Veteran goalkeepers Bobby Shuttleworth and Kenneth Kronholm saw the most action. Kronholm started between the posts in 2019, recording 58 saves in 20 matches. Will he pick up where he left off? Only time will tell. Shuttleworth is new to Chicago but not MLS, with previous stints in New England and Minnesota.
STRENGTHENING THE DEFENSE
Defender Wyatt Omsberg joined the Fire and is under contract through 2022. The Fire traded Raheem Edwards to Minnesota United FC for Omsberg. The Dartmouth College graduate has seven appearances under his belt in MLS. He spent parts of the last two seasons on loan with FC Tulsa and Forward Madison FC.
Slovakian international Boris Sekulic signed a deal with Chicago that also keeps him around through 2022. The 28-year-old defender spent his playing career in Serbia, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Poland before joining MLS. The latest international signing most recently played with Gornik Zabrze in the Ekstraklasa League, where he started all 36 matches he played in and tallied two goals.
ADDING OPTIONS TO THE MIDFIELD
Argentine Ignacio Aliseda became a Young Designated Player for the Fire via transfer on Feb. 19. The 20-year-old midfielder spent two seasons playing with Defensa y Justicia in the Superliga Argentina. Aliseda also made two appearances for the Argentina Under-23 national team during the team’s championship run in the 2019 Pan American Games.
The Fire acquired Serbian midfielder Luka Stojanovic on Feb. 20. He’s appeared in 186 professional matches, playing in Portugal, Greece, Belgium and Serbia. Stojanovic spent the last three seasons with FK Cukaricki in Serbia’s first division. During the last two campaigns, the Stojanovic tallied 23 goals.
Argentine International Gaston Gimenez joined the Fire via transfer from Atletico Velez Sarsfield on Feb. 22. At 28 years old, the midfielder adds experience to the center of the pitch, with 225 appearances on his resume in 10 years of play. Gimenez spent the last six seasons in the Superliga Argentina. Gimenez also represented the Argentina National Team in a friendly against Mexico in 2018.
It’s fair to say the 2020 Chicago Fire have some international flare.
WELCOME TO WGN-TV
The Chicago channel known for being the home of baseball for decades, mainly the Chicago Cubs, has now broadened its repertoire. WGN-TV will air 24 Chicago Fire matches this season. The remainder will be aired via national broadcasts. The Fire’s WGN-TV debut will be the March 7 match at New England Revolution (12:30 p.m. CT). The network also produced a special entitled “Chicago Fire FC: Homecoming,” which will premiere March 20. The partnership will include monthly specials.
Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.
Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.
