David Accam will hope some additional help will bring better fortunes for the Chicago Fire in 2017 (photo credit Don MacGregor)
Hope #1: McCarty, Juninho, and Nikolic Make Immediate Impact: Each of these three players were brought in for specific reasons. Dax McCarty brings a winning reputation with him from the Red Bulls and it is hoped he can be a leader for a team that lacked any on the pitch last season. Juninho also comes from a club with a winning reputation in LA Galaxy and it is hoped he can command the midfield alongside McCarty. Nemanja Nikolic comes with an insane strike rate wherever he went. It is hoped he can bring that strike rate to Bridgeview and take pressure off Michael de Leeuw and David Accam.
Hope #2: The Team Learns How to Win: Last season, Nelson Rodriguez said that while the team learned how to be competitive last season, they did not learn how to win. That’s why Dax McCarty and Juninho were brought in. Last season, the Fire won just once in a match where they conceded a goal. Otherwise, it was either a draw or a loss and on multiple occasions, three points became one or none. With the experienced help now with the Fire, it is hoped that their experience with winning rubs off on the rest of the team—especially on the road!
Hope #3: Preseason Form Translates into Regular Season Form: The last three preseasons were very good for the Fire. The last two regular seasons were the two worst in club history. If the Fire can find a way to turn good preseasons from a record standpoint (6-0-0 this preseason) into a good regular season, then Fire fans will start to buy into what Nelson Rodriguez and Veljko Paunovic are trying to build. Rodriguez said that while there was ‘excitement’ after last preseason, this year the word is ‘confidence’ going to this season. The first five matches will go a long way to see if that confidence holds.
Juninho (right) was one of three veterans signed by Nelson Rodriguez this offseason with the hopes of rejuvenating the Fire (photo credit: Max Aquino)
One Fear: It’s Still Not Enough: Dax McCarty, Juninho, and Nemanja Nikolic are vast improvements to a club won just 21 matches in the last three years. However, can the make the impact expected of them? There is also the issue of the defense. No significant improvements were made in that department and they could be a bit leaky to start. Sean Johnson is now at NYCFC, fans will get on Jorge Bava hard if he begins to struggle out of the gate. While the Fire have made improvements on the pitch, the main fear is they will still end up be the third team in MLS history (Toronto FC, Chivas USA) to miss the playoffs five consecutive seasons.
But still, there’s really one way to go for the Fire and that’s up. If the Fire are anywhere near the red line come October, then that will at least be seen at the team moving in the right direction. Getting upgrades in the defense and/or a #10 will help immensely if the Fire are able to get those during the season as well. There is more genuine optimism about this season’s team than last season’s, but it can all dissipate quickly if the Fire yet again struggle out of the gate.
