One team was back home after a two-week break. Another team came off as the proverbial “Homecoming” opponent in Columbus. And a former Fire player is coming home as an Academy coach. Now the details:
RED STARS: I have kept saying that if Mallory Pugh, Kealia Watt, and Rachel Hill get on the same page along with Morgan Gautrat; then the Red Stars may be able to score some more goals. That has yet to happen. But then again, both they and Washington were out of sorts for the better part of the match and the Red Stars looked more so after a pair of defensive breakdowns–one of which resulted in a goal for the Spirit.
This was a point rescued after Gautrat netted from the spot. Now, after no matches in two weeks, the Red Stars play the second of three in eight days as they travel to Tacoma to face OL Reign (9pm, Twitch) before returning home to face Racing Louisville on Saturday (1pm, Paramount+).
FIRE: Last Saturday was the final Columbus Crew match at Historic Crew Stadium, and the Fire came off like the Homecoming opponent that most college football teams schedule for that day akin to a Roman sacrifice to the lions. Raphael Wicky saw his team going through the motions like the Homecoming opponent.
“We lost in my eyes a little bit of the passion, a little bit of the fire, a little bit of the urgency to win duels, to winning challenges and winning second balls and that’s the base of football. That was the message at halftime. We can talk tactics as long as you want but we have to do the dirty work first,” said Wicky.
“And I missed the first half for a part of the first half, the basics of football, the basics of the game. That’s to run, that’s to fight, that’s to win the duels and the second balls.”
The Fire did not have a single shot on target against Columbus and it’s now a 1-6-1 record with just one goal in six matches (and even that goal was the result of a Miami howler).
The Fire went through massive changes after the 2019 season both with the logo and the makeup of the soccer operations. The Fire have already gone for a re-do on the logo for 2022. Current form suggests that the Fire should go for a re-do on the pitch as well as there is nothing to suggest this team will turn things around with its current setup either with players or with the technical staff. Losses to FC Cincinnati and Philadelphia this week will only hasten calls for Joe Mansueto to orchestrate a massive overhaul of the soccer operations.
The Fire playing at Soldier Field is only going to work if the team is not just competitive, but a contender if they wish to emulate Seattle and Atlanta–both of whom make playing in large NFL stadia work because they have the personnel to make it work. Ironically enough, not being competitive on the pitch is the biggest reason why the move to SeatGeek Stadium ended up a failure.
NYARKO JOINS ACADEMY AS COACH: It’s noticeable that there is a lack of former Fire players as part of the soccer operations apart from assistant coach Frank Klopas. However, former Fire player Patrick Nyarko has joined the Academy as an assistant coach with the Under-19 squad.
Nyarko joins the staff of Ludovic Taillandier who will lead the Fire Academy U-19 team as head coach. Nyarko’s field role as an assistant coach will include helping to guide the team that serves as the final stepping stone from the Academy to the Chicago Fire first team. \
“I’m very excited to be back in Chicago where I spent so many years during my playing career,” said Nyarko. “It’s impressive to see how the Chicago Fire Academy has grown over the years and I am looking forward to learning from all the coaches and staff at the Club. After spending a decade as a player in MLS, hopefully I can bring that experience to the players as they learn about what it takes to make it as professionals, both on and off the field.”
Nyarko was drafted as the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Fire in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. He made 196 appearances (148 starts) for the Club between 2008-15, scoring 19 goals and dishing out 39 assists. After spending eight seasons with the Fire, Nyarko spent two seasons at D.C. United where he played 40 games (35 starts).
Chicago Fire
Chicago Red Stars
