It is often said that the greatest thing about matchday one of a season is that everyone is undefeated. There are no blemishes on the record of any team, and a spot in the upper echelon of a league or even a trophy are in the sights of all 22 players taking the pitch across ten different venues. We are nearing matchday one of the 2015 MLS season, and no team is looking forward to a fresh start more than the Chicago Fire.
The Fire are one of MLS' oldest and most successful sides. They have won one MLS Cup, one Supporters' Shield and the US Open Cup on four occasions. However, the Fire have now missed out on the playoffs for two consecutive seasons and the 2014 season was an almighty struggle. They missed club captain and then-reigning MLS MVP Mike Magee for large swathes of the season to injuries and shoddy defending all over the park led to a number of leads blown.
Any hopes of a playoff berth ended in September with a 3-3 home draw to DC United after leading 2-0 partway through the first half, and the team enjoyed the ignominy of setting the MLS record for most draws in a season with 18. For those keeping score at home, that does mean they drew more than half of their matches.
For all of the struggles, there was still a bright spot. That bright spot came in the form of young attacking midfielder Harry Shipp, the University of Notre Dame product who signed with the Fire on a Homegrown Player contract. Shipp first burst onto the scene in May of 2014 when he scored a hat trick in a 5-4 victory over the New York Red Bulls, and he showcased his quality on the ball all throughout the season. The now 23-year-old was a finalist for MLS Rookie of the Year, and is one of the few players who have their own chant at Toyota Park.
While there was a promising nucleus developing throughout the team, just having Shipp, goalkeeper Sean Johnson, defender and club captain Jeff Larentowicz and Magee would not be anywhere near enough to challenge for a playoff berth. So, manager Frank Yallop masterminded a massive roster overhaul which has fans and pundits alike speculating that a playoff spot could be on the cards this upcoming season.
That roster overhaul would not be easy, largely because the Fire were poor all across the board last season. The defense was leaky, the midfield was dominated and they struggled all season to score goals. Luckily for Fire fans, the club entered the offseason with two unused Designated Player slots. They used the first of those back in December on striker Kennedy Igboananike, who made the move to MLS from Swedish football.
Yet, that still didn't seem like it would be enough reinforcements at the top of the pitch. Unfortunately, the midfield and defense needed strengthening as well and there was just one DP space left. This triggered what was, quite possibly, the most popular move Chicago made all season: selling Juan Luis Anangono to Universidad de Guadalajara.
The Ecuadorian was a disappointment pretty much from day one in Chicago, and scored just four goals in 28 appearances over three years. After he was shipped out on loan last season to LDU Quito, it appeared his days as one of the Men in Red were numbered.
Almost immediately after Anangono's transfer was announced, the Fire announced the signing of Ghanaian striker David Accam. The Ghanaian is also making the move over to MLS from Swedish football, and he is coming from Helsingborg where he scored 30 goals in 62 appearances. He has been capped twice by the Black Stars national team, narrowly missing out on the 2014 FIFA World Cup and was a member of the squad which travelled to the African Cup of Nations this winter.
Yet, Chicago was not done. No, there was still a DP slot open and a number of holes to be filled across the board. Following the loss of Benji Joya in midfield and reacting to just how poor they were in the middle of the park last season, a decision was made to use the third and final DP contract on Scottish attacking midfielder Shaun Maloney.
Maloney has long been a fixture of the Scottish national team, and has often been recognized as one of the most technically gifted if not the most technically gifted players Scotland has to offer. After making his name while playing for Glasgow Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, Maloney made the move to English football with Wigan Athletic. He played a central role in a couple of their great escapes during their run in the Barclays Premier League, and was pivotal in their 2013 FA Cup triumph. The Fire will hope that he can bring his class and composure on the ball right into the team, given that that is something which they sorely lacked last season.
The three designated players will be joined by defenders Adailton, Eric Gehrig, Homegrown Player Patrick Doody and MLS SuperDraft pick Matt Polster along with midfielders Michael Stephens and 17-year-old Homegrown Player Collin Fernandez. They will all be joined by striker Guly do Prado as well.
However, it was not all additions for Chicago. The Men in Red waved goodbye to defenders Patrick Ianni, Gonzalo Segares and Bakary Soumare in addition to midfielder Sanna Nyassi and striker Robbie Earnshaw. While the sheer volume of players lost will hurt Chicago, the loss of a couple of the defenders and in particular of Soumare should not break hearts. Last season, the Malian made defensive mistake after defensive mistake, and no moment better summed up his season than this one (see 2:42 into the video):
However, these new additions have fans thrilled and anxiously awaiting the start of the season. Luckily for those fans, the Fire have the distinct pleasure of playing in the season's curtain-raiser on March 6th, when they will travel to StubHub Center in Carson, California to play the LA Galaxy. It will undoubtedly be an emotional evening for the Galaxy, given that not only will they be raising their 2015 MLS Cup Championship banner but it will also be the first time they are without Landon Donovan in a decade.
That being said, there is no better early season measuring stick than to come up against the reigning champions in the first match of the season. While they have been unbeaten in preseason play, that unbeaten five match run has included four draws. That stirs up unpleasant memories of last season, but all of that could be assuaged with a victory over the reigning MLS Cup Champions.
After the trip to Los Angeles, Chicago will return home to kick off the home schedule with a game against the Vancouver Whitecaps which will be followed by a trip to the San Jose Earthquakes and their brand new stadium. They will then close out the merry month of March at home against the Philadelphia Union.
It is not the easiest start to a season given that three of the four teams were in the playoffs last season, but three of those are certainly winnable games. Should Chicago manage to put six or seven points up on the board in March, it would serve as a strong indicator of where they could go this season. Speaking of where they could go this season, it's time for this writer to make his two predictions on where the Fire could end of this season.
Worst Case Scenario:
Mike Magee comes back from his injuries and is nowhere near the player he was in 2013, and the new designated players don't gel. Shaun Maloney is in great form for both Chicago and Scotland and when a Barclays Premier League team comes calling over the summer he leaves, along with Sean Johnson who is sick of having a Swiss cheese defense playing in front of him. The Men in Red again struggle to win games, and an accumulation of draws late in the season sees them miss out on the MLS Cup Playoffs for a third successive season.
Best Case Scenario:
The three new DPs immediately form understandings with each other, and a 4-2-3-1 formation is used by Yallop which can accommodate four of Maloney, Accam, Igboananike, Magee, Shipp and Amarikwa and the Fire score goal after goal. The defense remains an issue, but not enough of one to cost them a playoff spot. In fact, they finish high enough in the Eastern Conference standings to host the second leg of a playoff tie and make it all of the way to the Conference Semifinals. A run deep into the US Open Cup makes it an even sweeter season, and the team begins dreaming of a run to MLS Cup in 2016.