In 2000, the Chicago White Sox slogan was “The Kids Can Play”. And play they did! They won 95 games in 2000 en route to the American League Central Division title. Eight of the players on the 2000 team would be part of the World Series winning team in 2005. Unfortunately, that is apparently not the motto for Chicago Fire FC.
One quote that struck Fire fans after the 3-1 loss to Atlanta United was when coach Raphael Wicky was asked why he did not insert 18-year old forward Alex Monis in as a substitute. The Fire used just one sub (Jhon Espinoza for Chinoso Offor) mainly because anyone who could be an attacking sub–Fabian Herbers, Miguel Navarro, Ignacio Aliseda, Elliot Collier, and Stanislav Ivanov–were out injured. So why not put in Monis?
“…in this game, I didn’t think he’s ready to step in there and help us. That’s the only thing. He’s 18 years old. He doesn’t have any games in this league. That’s the reason. That’s the reason why I kept going with this group, and didn’t stop.”
That would wash apart from several things. Seventeen year-old Cade Cowell netted a goal and an assist for San Jose in their win over FC Dallas. Josh Atencio, 19, has started both games so far for Seattle and has played well in both of them. Did I mention that former Fire Homegrown Andrew Gutman scored on Sunday for New York Red Bulls? Have I mentioned that Fire homegrown Mauricio Pineda has not played a minute so far in two matches? (By the way, what happened to that plan with Johan Kappelhof in defensive mid?)
It has frustrated Fire fans no end that they have not played the kids if anything to gain experience and grow. In fact, the last several seasons have seen the Fire not make the best with the homegrown players that they have had. The most recent example was Djordje Mihailovic who was eventually traded to CF Montreal (where he has one goal so far). It results in the Fire having a reputation where if you are in their Academy System, there’s no guarantee you’ll end up on the pitch for the senior team.
How do you expect them to get experience if you don’t play them? It’s all the more reason for the Fire to either have a reserve team in USL, loan players out to Madison as they are their USL affiliate, or the third option which is to actually play them. The alternative after Saturday’s loss is a continuation of an attack that falls below expected goals for and a defense very much still capable of catastrophic errors.
Also frustrating Fire fans no end is the fact that they have yet to win a road match (or any match from a trailing position for that matter) since the last day of the 2019 regular season–a dead rubber tilt against Orlando. You have to go back to August 3rd, 2019, for an away match where the Fire were still mathematically alive in the playoffs (at Houston). You have to go back even further–June 30th, 2018–for a Fire win from a trailing position (vs. New York Red Bulls). In fact, the Fire have won just 15 away league matches since the end of the 2012 season.
Yes, we are only two matches into the 2021 season. However, Wicky’s excuse for not playing Monis because he’s 18 is not going to wash because Fire fans have elephant memories and expected owner Joe Mansueto, sporting director Georg Heitz, and coach Raphael Wicky (read: former USA U-17 coach) to change all of that. It will also not wash if someone uses the excuse–like Frank Yallop did a few years ago–that they were not present for all the problems of the past. They are in charge now and they are charged with getting the Fire back on track. The results of the first season plus has not been encouraging and it needs to improve if the Fire are going to have any momentum going into 2022 with a new logo and identity. That identity can be built during 2021 if they learn from a wretched past from which they have clearly not done so far.
