MLS 2009 Previews: Chicago Fire

Today’s preview is brought to you by Irish Steve, one of the keepers of Chicago Fire Offside. He’s joined over there by Johnathan, author of a recent interview with former Fire player/icon Diego Gutierrez. Be sure to stop by and say, “Hey.”

Nuts and Bolts:
Over the past few years, the Fire have been knocking on the door, but they haven’t been able to break it down and make it to the MLS Cup. The Fire hasn’t played in the Final since 2003, and hasn’t won the cup since 1998, which simply isn’t good enough for fans, players and staff alike. Last season the Fire were 45 minutes away from the final but a second half collapse against Columbus in the Eastern Conference Semi sent them home early.

The key to the Fire’s success last season was the defense. The ever present back 4 of Brandon Prideaux, Bakary Soumare, Wilman Conde, and Gonzalo Segares earned their goalkeeper Jon Busch the Goalie of the Year award. Busch was quick to praise his defenders for the award. Only the Houston Dynamo let in less goals than the Fire last season.

The Star:
Many would say that the star of the Chicago Fire is Mexican legend Cuatemoc Blanco but I beg to differ. For me the star is Brian McBride (pictured.) The local boy returned halfway through last season and fit right into the side, scoring 5 goals in 11 games. McBride is a very physical player who doesn’t mind sticking his head in where the sun doesn’t shine…..both of his cheek bones have been reconstructed and he now has 2 metal plates in his face! McBride has been on Fire this preseason and I fully expect him to score 15+ goals this season.

DP or not? How will that affect the team?
We have a DP, Cuauhtemoc Blanco. In my opinion Blanco does more to hurt the team than help it. Last season, new manager Denis Hamlett obviously felt pressured to play his DP in every minute of every game even though Blanco, now 36 clearly didn’t have the legs to go 90 minutes for the whole season. Blanco’s form has never been consistent for the Fire, and the only position he could realistically play last season was as a second striker because when he played in midfield, he would never track back to help on defense. When Blanco plays, the Fire as a team play at a much slower pace because most of the attacks only start when the Fire get him the ball.

When the Fire played against Everton without Blanco last season they romped to a 2-0 victory over the Premiership side with the Fire’s speedy attacking young guns (Mapp, Rolfe, Nyarko and Pappa) all having spectacular games. Since the Fire have signed Blanco, they have gotten to 2 Eastern Conference Finals, but in both of those games Blanco was a non factor. The best players thrive in the big games, and many Fire fans haven’t forgiven Blanco for not leading us to the final. If Blanco’s minutes are managed better this season, I believe he will still be able to contribute significantly in the 2009 season.

The Newcomers:
Unlike seasons past, the Fire have not made a big name signing during the offseason. The truth is, this offseason they didn’t have to. The Fire squad was the deepest in the MLS last season, and after trimming big salary players Andy Herron and Thomas Frankowski there still was little room for improvement. Fire legend Diego Gutierrez retired in the offseason and Stephen King left for Seattle. These 4 players were replaced by Bosnian midfield Baggio Husidic who played college soccer in Chicago and Bulgarian striker Sefan Dimitrov. I would expect Husidic to see more minutes than Dimitrov this season but with the Fire playing more games this year because of their qualification for the Superliga; everyone is going to get playing time.

Keep an eye on:
Justin Mapp and Pat Nyarko. Mapp has been very disappointing over the past few seasons but has the ability to torment defensives with his dribbling and potentially deadly crosses. Mapp is also having a great preseason and I’m hoping this is year will be his best to date in the MLS. Nyarko showed some great potential last season before a terrible knee injury cut his season short. He is back to full fitness and I expect he will score his share of goals this season if given the chance.

We’ll win the league if:
Our defense plays as well as they did last season and our final league position allows us to host the Eastern Conference Final.

We’ll be in trouble if:
We have a slow start and the fans get on Hamlett’s back too early.

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Category: MLS, World Football