If there was ever a team in turmoil, it is the Chicago Fire. A bastion of stability for the first 9 years of its existence, this year that tradition has been disrupted by a wave of change. Firstly, Chris Armas announced that this would be his final MLS season, bringing a storied career to a close.
Several Fire fans wish he had hung up his boots a year or two ago.
After a 3-0-1 start propelled the Fire to the top of the table, they proceeded to only win one of their next nine league matches (1-6-2, 5 points out of a possible 27). In those 9 matches, the Fire scored 7 goals, and surrendered 17. Apologists will blame the dropoff in scoring production on the loss of Chris Rolfe, who has been rehabbing an ankle injury suffered in May. However, such an argument ignores the fact that Rolfe has missed significant time in each of the past few seasons. The reliance on such a fragile player to provide almost all of your offense is a poor excuse, especially when one considers that the Fire only scored multiple goals in a game once during their unbeaten run (2-1 over Kansas City on April 21.)
Several Fire fans wish he had hung up his boots a year or two ago.
After a 3-0-1 start propelled the Fire to the top of the table, they proceeded to only win one of their next nine league matches (1-6-2, 5 points out of a possible 27). In those 9 matches, the Fire scored 7 goals, and surrendered 17. Apologists will blame the dropoff in scoring production on the loss of Chris Rolfe, who has been rehabbing an ankle injury suffered in May. However, such an argument ignores the fact that Rolfe has missed significant time in each of the past few seasons. The reliance on such a fragile player to provide almost all of your offense is a poor excuse, especially when one considers that the Fire only scored multiple goals in a game once during their unbeaten run (2-1 over Kansas City on April 21.)
The Fire now lie 7 points adrift of first place New England, and 3 points adrift of eighth place Columbus for the final MLS Cup Playoff spot. Sunday's lackluster scoreless draw with Colorado Rapids only served to illustrate the utter stagnation at 71st and Harlem.
The losses coupled with growing fan frustration ended up costing Head Coach Dave Sarachan his job, with assistant Denis Hamlett taking over, becoming the first Black head coach in MLS history. While a search for a permament replacement goes on, word now comes that the Fire are up for sale, with a reported asking price of $35 million. A change of ownership can only be a good thing for the Fire, provided the new owners are interested in winning, and are willing to spend the cash to accomplish that.
The losses coupled with growing fan frustration ended up costing Head Coach Dave Sarachan his job, with assistant Denis Hamlett taking over, becoming the first Black head coach in MLS history. While a search for a permament replacement goes on, word now comes that the Fire are up for sale, with a reported asking price of $35 million. A change of ownership can only be a good thing for the Fire, provided the new owners are interested in winning, and are willing to spend the cash to accomplish that.
In addition to the change of ownership, it would likely mean a major house-cleaning at Toyota Park, and frankly, that is something that is long overdue. Undermined by years of bad drafts, slow-to-develop players (Chad Barrett, Chris Rolfe, etc.), and an incompetent front office (The Andy Herron Trade), and overreliance on older players who were there during the franchise's glory years (Chris Armas, Diego Gutierez, CJ Brown) the Fire look to be at a tipping point. Continued decline will keep the crowds away, resulting in less money needed to land high-profile players or even good, low-profile players like Honduras's Pavon, recently signed by the LA Galaxy. Conspiracy theorists will likewise tell you that the Fire is AEG's red-headed stepchild to the Galaxy, also owned by AEG, and to an extent, this is true.
Sarachan's sacking was the first step in a series of improvements needed to regenerate the club, but it can't stop there. It needs a full cleaning, top to bottom, before this club can realistically contend for doubles and league titles again.
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