Dreams of a fifth US Open Cup title were quashed in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. The Fire’s 3-0 defeat knocked them out of the tournament and leaves only 10 regular-season games for them to attempt to salvage something out of the 2018 season. The aftermath of that loss brought upon the release of midfielder Tony Tchani and right back Kevin Ellis, who came on as a late sub Wednesday.
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The loss combined with another relatively uneventful transfer window and more supporter bans handed out by the Fire on Thursday sets up the next few months to potentially be more interesting off the field than on it. Readers submitted another round of questions for this mailbag and there’s no shortage of frustration in context and tone. Let’s dive in.
@TrueMartyParty: Johan Kappelhof’s contract expires at the end of the season. There is no club option on it. Is there any truth to the rumblings that he will return to the Eredivisie in January?
Kappelhof was one of the better defenders in the league for most of last season but he’s not been as effective this year. He’s struggled at times with the team crumbling around him and the technical staff unable to find an experienced quality center back partner to pair with him. At 28 years old, he should be able to find another offer to his liking overseas if he and the Fire can’t come to some agreement to extend him past this season.
@FireEngine97: Good Mourning Guillermo, Thank you for your fantastic coverage all season! With the Fire’s hopes all but extinguished and the season nearing its finish, What upcoming sports/teams are you excited about: Da Bears, EPL, La Liga, Serie A, or other? Man United for me! We need CBs!
Thanks! I do follow the European soccer leagues but I don’t have a particular team that I’m necessarily following. I am looking forward to watching what the new coaching staff can bring to the Bears and how much Mitch Trubisky has grown in his second year. And yes, the Fire do need center backs among other things.
@ChanceKev: Since Pauno was regarded as a young players coach and a coach that could develop, should he be given the rest of the season to exclusively play and develop the young players on #cf97. With the season over, it’s imperative that Lillard, Adams, Campos, Djordje see minutes.
The desire for fans to want to see the “kids” play significant minutes when teams are in the situation the Fire are in is common and understandable. In reality, professional coaches still have to maintain the integrity of the competition by filling out a lineup with players who have earned their way into positions to play regularly. Coaches, particularly those that are out of contract, also aren’t looking to take their lumps with more losses when they’re ultimately judged by wins and points. All of those players have had chances to play on the first team this year, with the obvious exception of Djordje Mihailovic, as a result of injury or lack of depth. If they’re performing in training, I’m sure that you’ll see more of them at some point in the two months.
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@Anish20221020: Which particular players you personally believe will not be part of the roster next year? And if we get a new head coach who would you like to see?
It’s a bit early to foresee who won’t be back next year but there are several players on the bubble. There are only six players on the roster with guaranteed contracts for 2019 — Nicolás del Grecco, Aleksandar Katai, Grant Lillard, Dax McCarty, Nemanja Nikolic, and Richard Sanchez — so another offseason of substantial turnover is almost a guarantee. Players like Christian Dean, Luis Solignac, Brandon Vincent, and Jorge Corrales all have options that could find them in jeopardy for next year. As far as the coach goes, if Veljko Paunovic doesn’t return, someone with successful first-team experience at a high level might not be a bad choice.
@jersey_pete: WHAT IN THE WORLD WILL IT TAKE TO GET THIS CLUB ON THE RIGHT TRACK!?!?!?!
Without getting into a long dissertation, the blueprint is there. The best teams in MLS have laid out a path for the right track if you have the ambition and the desire to follow it.
@ahan_jain10: Why have club moves like sending Collier on loan not been publicly announced?
I suspect Elliot Collier’s loan wasn’t formally announced last week because they opted to keep him training with the first team out of necessity for bodies at practice. Injuries have kept them from getting players minutes in Tulsa this year. Rather than send them down, they’ve kept players in training. Collier was placed on loan on paper in order to clear an international spot for Hasler.
The Fire announced Friday that Collier and Diego Campos were going on loan to Indy Eleven. That clears up an international roster spot for either del Grecco or Michael de Leeuw once he is ready.
@ArchiJake: When will Nelson Rodriguez take responsibility for his numerous failures regarding stadium experience & roster needs over the past 12 months & resign?
I don’t believe Rodriguez is going anywhere, anytime soon. As president and GM, his contract was extended this past winter with the new role and expanded duties. As with all professional sports executives, he will have to answer to results at some point, however.
@FireEngine97: Do you think that Andrew Hauptman legitimately reads anything about the Fire produced by media members such as yourself to gauge progress? Do you think he subscribes to the Athletic? Do you think he goes on Twitter to see what fans think of his product?
I don’t know if he’s a subscriber but I can tell you with some assurance that he reads what’s out there on his team. He’s pretty aware of what’s being said and written.
@brewer_a: In April I asked, why should I spend my free time paying attention to this team this season? Now that it’s August and the season is effectively over with the Open Cup loss, any reason I should pay even passing attention to #cf97?
So that you can to continue reading about them on The Athletic.
@DarthBlackhawk: Why does it seem #cf97 always has more injuries and longer rehab time than any of the 23 MLS clubs? I don’t know why this isn’t brought up more. It is just as frustrating as the lack of quality signings. Thanks as always for your work!
I’m not sure they’ve had substantially more injuries than other teams over the past few years although it seems that way this season. There is something to be said about their current facilities and recuperation technique access, however. Some of the newer training facilities around the league offer more modern physical therapy applications on site, while the Fire have to travel outside of Toyota Park for certain regenerative applications. It’s not ideal but they do have access, it’s just not necessarily convenient.
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@FireEngine97: Where did this season go wrong?
Step one was trading David Accam without a viable DP replacement teed up and ready to step in before the season started.
@ChanceKev: Do we have any sort of information on how much or how often the new minority owner will be involved in #cf97? I would think after splashing the money to buy in, that he would have a vision or plan to help improve the status of the club.
We do not have much information on his involvement at this point but I am working on a larger-scale piece that would take a deeper look at the sale and how it impacts the club.
@pa_tall: How many JD Power awards do you think the fire will win next year?
Zing.
@ChanceKev: Have you ever been able to or can you find out if MLS headquarters knows they have an issue here in Chicago? How long will the league allow a top 3 market to trip over themselves, missing out on boat loads of potential money and interest.
The league is well aware of the issues in Chicago. The award of the All-Star Game last year was part of a concerted effort to revive the market and make them more relevant within it. Given what has transpired this year, it has to be a huge concern. MLS will need the Chicago market if it ever plans to reach the heights that it claims to be aiming for. How the league address it further is one of the big questions this winter.
@haighsta6: What was the FO’s plan was for this season? They knew the roster was incomplete lacking a CB, winger, creative mid, etc Then did little for the summer transfer window, only nibbling at the margins, while simultaneously beefing with the supporter groups. Are they high? Bad? Both?
It seems they were poised to spend some money in the last two transfer windows but for whatever reason, failed to get anything substantial done. Admitting that the roster was incomplete and then failing to adequately address those shortcomings places the results of this season squarely on Rodriguez’s shoulders. I wrote in this space last fall that the winter window was vitally important for the Fire and now two transfer windows have gone by without addressing or filling glaring holes. The issues with supporters just magnifies all of the negativity surrounding the club.
@FireEngine97: Do current facilities factor into THIS CLUB not being a club of choice? Do current coaches’ factor into this club not being a club of choice? What other detriments currently factor into this club not aligning with NR’s vision of #cf97 being a world class club of choice?
The “club of choice” comment will continue to haunt Rodriguez and the current regime until they actually manage to convince their main targets to choose Chicago. The failure to land high-profile players like Quintero, Casillas, Torres and Moreno over the last eight months while not being able to complete the roster make the “club of choice” mantra ring hollow. I don’t believe that the facilities are a major detriment at the moment. Bastian Schweinsteiger arrived and has returned for another season while dealing with the facilities so it’s incumbent on Rodriguez now to back that up.
@we_harding: What are the biggest missing pieces for the Fire in your opinion? Have they tried to fix these seriously?
I’ll go in order of importance: attacking midfielder/playmaker, central defender, left back, goalkeeper, outside midfield, second forward. They’ve legitimately tried to fill those areas but haven’t been able to get much above role players this summer.
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@TheSoccerEagle: Re: Mansueto, this smells like a power move against Ricketts. Ricketts is Rahm’s boy. Rahm doesn’t like Hauptman. Ricketts and Sterling Bay aren’t building that stadium for a second-tier team. Discuss.
There is plenty of intrigue and much to speculate about with regard to the Ricketts family and their interest in soccer. Joe Mansueto’s role in the grand scheme of the forthcoming struggle for the professional soccer dollar in the market isn’t exactly clear yet. It is difficult to believe that the Ricketts/Sterling Bay group envision a complex as massive as Lincoln Yards centered around second-division soccer. The fact that Ricketts’ current commitment is solely based on a letter of intent while Sterling Bay deals with the logistics of actually building a stadium is curious. It would not be surprising if the proposed opening date that has already been moved, moves again.
@gardo_nitch: Why doesn’t the fire put in as much effort to get a return on some players as they do to bring them in? Gilberto, Maloney, Ramos, Arshakyan, and I’m sure there a few others all left for free to just immediately join other teams!
Because those players ultimately needed to be moved and everyone knew it. The Fire did get a transfer fee for Shaun Maloney but there wasn’t much of a market for the others.
@evobern1: How much would it cost to pry Gio dos Santos from Galaxy?
I’m sure the Galaxy would entertain unloading him but why would you want to commit that much budget space and resources to Gio dos Santos?
@DougLawson81: Basti coming back next year?
I wrote here several weeks ago that Schweinsteiger had begun indicating he would like to return in 2019 and Rodriguez confirmed it during his last roundtable discussion. If I were to place a bet, I’d say that Schweinsteiger is back next season.
@chrismayCF97: Do you think Nelson believes the stuff he says? I get he might say that it doesn’t benefit anyone to speak accurately about the club’s situation as part of his job is to sell the image of a non-terrible-organization but wondering if he’s drinking his own koolaid.
@mjknight14: What do you think the issue is in the Fire managements inability to finish negotiations and sign players they want?
@jalanmiller: Time to name names…Who is to blame for this dumpster fire?
The current state of the team on and off the field is attributable to the individuals running it. There’s no way around disguising the club record since its current ownership under Andrew Hauptman took control. Ultimately, in professional sports, the owner will take much of the blame when things go as badly as they have, for as long as they have.
@OwenGoal: How much, and how soon will 49% shareholder Mansuetto have in future #cf97 organizational decisions? Do you foresee a rebuild beginning in the time remaining this season (eg dealing player assets within the league while MLS trading window remains open)?
The ownership sale is an interesting topic that hasn’t been clarified in terms of organizational decisions although it has been made clear that Hauptman retains majority ownership and thereby will continue to make those decisions. I’d like to add more context to this conversation outside of this forum through a more extensive piece. There will undoubtedly be substantial turnover on the player side this winter judging by the number of individuals out of contract or with club options for next year. The trade deadline within the league has come and gone, so that avenue is gone for the remainder of the season. There could be more cuts similar to Tchani and Ellis however.
@mikeunited1: Exactly how much of the club’s money went to help (aid Hauptman’s sister in law in a legal case)? If fans get banned from breaking code of conduct why does Monterrey Security continue to be allowed in to the stadium?
I have no idea if there is any connection or financial stake to those legal issues. Problems with Monterrey Security is a serious matter that needs to be addressed by the Fire and the Village of Bridgeview.
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@nkrsic: What’s the status with MDL, Mihailovic, Del Greco, Lillard, etc. I’ve seen photos of Djordje training on Instagram but it’s been very quiet on the others
The goal for return for de Leeuw and Mihailovic has always been mid-August. Both are training and de Leeuw is very close to being available. The delay on del Grecco centers around the receipt of his paperwork and regaining fitness. Lillard was on the bench of the US Open Cup match and appears to be available now.
@ricecakeonfire: Matthew Ryan Polster. What is the Destroyer’s status?
The initial prognosis for Polster would have placed his return sometime in October. Given the injury, his history with knee problems, and the current state of the team, there isn’t much incentive or reason to rush him back this season. He may want to get back given his contract situation but he needs to get fit first.
@ProffBooty: What will it take for the owners to publicly address the fans? I’m guessing even the soccer moms (only ones left) want to know what’s going on. BTW fantastic job!
This is something that should have been done and needs to be done soon. Hauptman hasn’t spoken to the media on record for several seasons and at some point he should address supporters directly as a first step toward rebuilding what once existed within the “club.”
@giarrapino: one year ago the fire were kinda deceptively really good , now they’re really kinda bad . Pick 3 of these 5 circumstances/ reasons why. : Injuries- coaching – player evaluation – signings/drafting-ownership+NR., discuss.
If we’re going with three of those, the main reason for the drop in results is player acquisition. The Fire have the same issues right now that they did at the end of last season. They needed a playmaker and didn’t get one. They needed another center back and didn’t get one. They needed a goalkeeper and didn’t get one. Secondly, injuries have played a part in their inability to field a complete first-choice 11 but all teams have to go through that to varying degrees during a season. A lack of quality signings has forced depth players and rookies into extended minutes but that falls back on those responsible for building the roster in February and March. Paunovic hasn’t been perfect, every coach can be second-guessed on tactics, substitutions, etc. but there weren’t many who saw this team as constituted in March and legitimately believed it was a contender for anything. The Fire currently sit where most thought they would be this season — hovering somewhere near the sixth spot and that’s where they are. The head coach isn’t the problem this season.
(Top photo: Jeffrey Swinger/USA TODAY Sports)