Barring a miraculous run in the second half of the season, it’s unlikely the Chicago Fire will make the 2021 MLS Cup playoffs.
Wednesday night’s 0-0 draw with New York City FC at Soldier Field was the Fire’s 17th match of the season — the halfway point of their schedule — and even with the result, the harsh reality is the Fire (3-9-5, 14 points) have a steep climb ahead, especially with a fixture list that skews heavily to road games.
“We’re obviously not happy with the amount of points we have,” coach Raphael Wicky said. “We expected more, we have higher expectations, so with that we’re not happy. I still think this team is developing and still think there is a curve. We see a curve that is going upward. The team is growing together.”
Perhaps on the bright side, the second half of the season enables the Fire to assess the players they would like to keep heading into 2022.
The Fire have 12 players — including two designated players — with either expiring contracts in the offseason or team options for 2022.
Forwards (2): Robert Beric (DP) and Elliot Collier
Midfielders (3): Gastón Giménez (DP), Álvaro Medrán and Luka Stojanovic
Defenders (5): Jonathan Bornstein, Francisco Calvo, Johan Kappelhof, Wyatt Omsberg and Nicholas Slonina (homegrown)
Goalkeepers (2): Kenneth Kronholm and Bobby Shuttleworth
On Thursday, the Fire sold Przemyslaw Frankowski to French Ligue 1 club RC Lens. Terms of the deal were not released, but reports indicated the fee was about $3 million, roughly twice what the Fire paid for the Polish international winger in January 2019. The MLS window to sign players ends at midnight, but teams can sell to European clubs through Aug. 31.
That gives the Fire good flexibility should they decide to embark on a squad overhaul, but Wicky said after the match he is focused only on this season. (The Fire also have a team option on Wicky’s contract in the offseason.)
“We spoke with the team, we’re really trying to take it game by game,” Wicky said. “I always take it game by game, but even with the team, our goals and stuff, we’re just saying, ‘OK, the next game, the most important was this one. Let’s take this one, try to take three points here and then see what happens.’ “
At the very least, Wednesday night offered a look at the Fire’s potential goalkeeper of the future. Gabriel Slonina became the youngest goalie to start an MLS match at 17 years, 81 days, his first appearance since signing a professional contract at 14 in 2019. Shuttleworth was sidelined with a left knee injury.
“I feel like there’s a 30-year-old man behind me,” fellow homegrown Mauricio Pineda said of Slonina. “His voice is heard. He’s always loud. He’s communicating. So I don’t feel like there’s a 17-year-old goalkeeper playing behind me when he’s there.”
Slonina looked composed and mature beyond his years, making four saves and registering the first clean sheet of his career. He called his first game “super emotional,” particularly coming against NYCFC keeper Sean Johnson, who played seven seasons for the Fire from 2010-16.
“A lot of hard work went into this moment,” Slonina said, “but I’m proud of the team for fighting and keeping this tie and (earning) a point because every one is important in the season. Super, super grateful, and thankful for the team and just feeling great right now.”
The young goalkeeper’s good performance aside, the Fire still aren’t getting the results they need for a postseason push.
And given the Fire’s record, soccer’s equivalent of a rebuild shouldn’t be ruled out. But unlike the lengthy haul that, say, the Cubs are embarking on, a rebuild in soccer can be done relatively quickly if money is available and management hits on its signings, especially designated players.
For his part, team owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto hasn’t shied from making money available to sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer.
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And while the MLS rulebook can be hefty, one of the most crucial unwritten rules is not missing on designated players — game-changers whose contracts are allowed to exceed the maximum budget charge of $612,500. This season, the Fire haven’t gotten much production from Beric (two goals in 17 games) and Giménez (one goal and no assists in 12 games).
But whether the Fire go the rebuild route is yet to be determined — there are 17 matches remaining.
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