CHICAGO, IL–Chicago Fire FC exercised the options on sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer which will see both run soccer operations at the club for a fourth season.
“I’m pleased that Georg and Sebastian will return in 2023,” said Owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto in the press release. “Going into next season, we feel that we have established a strong foundation with a new coaching staff, led by Ezra Hendrickson, and a core group of players to build around.”
Part of that foundation includes the re-establishment of the Fire’s Academy as part of the club’s strategy, the establishment of Chicago Fire II in MLS NEXT Pro, signing ten Homegrown Players to first-team contracts, and the transfer of Gaga Slonina for at least $10 million.
However, the past three seasons under Heitz and Pelzer does not include a playoff appearance and for every Jhon Duran and Chris Mueller who has been signed, there has been three signings that have not panned out. The Fire had the fifth-highest payroll in Major League Soccer, but the fifth-worst record in 2022.
Meanwhile, club president Ishwara Glassman-Chrein is leaving the club to be closer to her family in New York. Glassman-Chrein had been president and oversaw the business operations of the club since 2021.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have been president of the Chicago Fire. I have loved my time at the Fire, and I’d like to thank Joe Mansueto, the staff, the players, the fans, the sponsors, and the city of Chicago for being so welcoming to me and my family,” said Glassman Chrein. “I am so proud of the progress that the Fire has made over the past 18 months, and I will always be a fan. Although I enjoyed my role at the Fire, it has been extremely challenging for my family and I to be away from our home, close friends, and family in New York City. With the offseason now underway, it felt like the right time to transition back home and pursue other opportunities. I wish nothing but the best for the Club moving forward and will continue to support the Fire from afar.”
FC Lugano CEO Martin Blaser will serve as interim president of business operations. Fire owner Joe Mansueto also owns FC Lugano of the Swiss Super League.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Martin during the last year and have been impressed with his work at FC Lugano,” Mansueto continued. “Given his extensive experience in the industry and the synergies that already exist between the two Clubs, we felt that Martin was the right person to lead the Fire’s business operations during this transition. On the sporting side of the Club, I’m pleased that Georg and Sebastian will return in 2023.”
COMMENT: The return of Heitz and Pelzer has not been met with popular acclaim from fans and media, alike. This reporter also suggested that the club replace Heitz with someone like Seattle’s Garth Lagerway. Most of the suggestions made in that article very much remain valid. The new president of business operations will need to ensure that the Fire can expand their fan base and reduce pain points off the pitch such as with Soldier Field and the lack of a local outlet for broadcast with MLS games moving to Apple TV next season.
As for the soccer operations, it has to be playoffs or else. Failing to reach the playoffs in 2023 should result in termination of at least Heitz and Pelzer and for Joe Mansueto to hire better people to run things on the pitch. They have run out of excuses, either they make the necessary upgrades and improvement to the squad that will see the Fire in the playoffs next season, or they should be make way for someone who will make them in 2024.
