Note: This article originally appeared on Windy City Soccer
CHICAGO, IL–New Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic was formally introduced to the media on Thursday morning at the PrivateBank Fire Pitch on the city’s north side. Fire General Manager Nelson Rodriguez firmly believes he has the coach that will change the club’s fortunes.
“A new coach often symbolizes hope,” said Rodriguez. “Hope that something in the future will be better. I don’t have that hope. I have incredible belief that we are better already today and we will continue to be significantly better in the future.”
Rodriguez praised Paunovic as someone who learns and teaches enthusiastically, who competes relentlessly, and pursues passionately with an energy level that will match any player or coach. It’s a more “forward-thinking” mindset that Paunovic brings than “conventional-thinking” according to Rodriguez.
Paunovic said that he is “totally aligned” with the values of the club–Tradition, Honor, and Passion. He added three more values to that. Respect for all of those who work for the club, who gave the best for the club, the fans, the referees, and those who participate in the game. Responsibility for the team, players, club goals, decisions, and towards the community. Enthusiasm for working together to give the best in every session and every game. With those, Paunovic feels they will help rebuild the trust between the club and its fans.
He also had this message for the fans:
“I know you’ve been through a difficult time in the past few years. I know you’ve been always giving your best at every game. I know you’ve been rooting for the team no matter the weather conditions, circumstances, or the seasons of the year. I know you have been giving a lot of energy, time, resources, and money. More than ever, we need you. We need you to come to the stadium. We need your support.
“Let’s create a winning environment where the players will feel passionate to give their best in every game, no matter the circumstances. We want to deliver you a winning team who always gives the best on and off the field and never give up. We want to build a team that inspires you and one that you will love and enjoy even more. Let’s start the Fire together.”
When asked why he chose the Fire, he sees a challenge that he can use his abilities, experience, and his six languages to restore a once-proud club.
“This is the point when we are going to improve, go higher and higher, and create a winning team,” said Paunovic. “This challenge is something I love to have, because I’m going to use all my knowledge, my experiences, all my languages. This challenge makes me feel 100%.
“We are building our team. We are looking for the best prospects. The first part is our vision and then the people.”
Paunovic also hinted that he and Rodriguez will make player personnel decisions together.
THOUGHTS: Two key terms here are “forward-thinking” and “adaptive.” Rodriguez wants the Fire to set an example for the rest of the league and sees in Paunovic a forward thinking instead of what might be convention in the world of Major League Soccer. The adaptive part comes from Paunovic himself who stresses that he wants his side to be adaptive to various styles of play and to feel good about playing for the Fire.
Another thing to consider is the emphasis on values both by Rodriguez and Paunovic. Whether tradition, honor, and passion combined with respect, responsibility, and enthusiasm make up the Fire’s version of the Elements of Harmony remains to be seen. What can be seen is that both want to build the foundation based on these values before the talk is about players (Designated Players in particular). It will likely require the Fire Faithful to be more patient while Messrs. Rodriguez and Paunovic try to sell a new vision for players and fans alike to buy into starting this season. First the vision, then finding the people to best implement that vision.
