Fixing the Fire: The Attack
You can’t win if you can’t score.
Although scoring goals wasn’t a primary issue with this year’s Chicago Fire team, there are certainly areas in which they will need to improve if they want to be a playoff team in 2021.
Before diving into specifics, let’s review some of the numbers.
The Fire were tied for 11th in Goals scored on the year (33), 5th in Shots (318), 7th in Shots on Goal (111), and 10th in Average Possession (51.2%). They were also only shutout five times in 23 games with two of them coming in the MLS is Back tournament when the group was still trying to mesh.
All in all, these are pretty good numbers that puts them in the top half of the league in offensive categories. However, the addition of a few attacking pieces could certainly help improve these numbers further. It could also help head coach Raphael Wicky better utilize his roster to play the type of soccer he has envisioned for this club.
With that being said, let’s dive right in.
This team is desperate for influential attacking depth.
Photo: MLSSoccer.com
With CJ Sapong missing much of the year due to injuries and personal matters, that really only left the Fire with Elliot Collier and either Ignacio Aliseda or Przemyslaw Frankowski depending on who was in the starting lineup.
Although Frankowski came into form late in the season (again), none of these options had an impact when coming off the bench. Sapong is currently out of contract and will be eligible for free agency. Collier had his option for 2021 exercised by the club to the disbelief of just about everyone.
Dangerous Wide Player
The Fire will need to shop for a dangerous wide player in the offseason. They will need a strong two-way player who can provide a deadly final ball and consistent service to Robert Beric while also having the work ethic to help the team defend. Whether or not Heitz & Co. look abroad for one of these types of players is the question. The club is at capacity with occupied international slots at the moment.
The Friday signing announcement of Nigerian striker Chinonso Offor makes that even more difficult despite some players reportedly being in the process of obtaining green cards. There are certainly a handful of players within the league that are worth a look but that’s another conversation for another day.
A Creative Center Attacking Midfielder
That brings us to a piece of the puzzle that has been missing from Fire teams for years: A creative center attacking midfielder. Outside of a brief stint with Nico Gaitan at the position in 2019, the Fire have been missing a true playmaker since the legendary Cuauhtemoc Blanco days. At the moment, Alvaro Medran is seen as the team’s playmaker and occupies the #10 kit number as well. However, we haven’t actually seen him play directly underneath the striker like a typical attacking midfielder. Instead, he serves as more of a box to box midfielder and set-piece taker in a deeper-lying playmaker role.
Although we have seen the likes of Fabian Herbers, Djordje Mihailovic, and Ignacio Aliseda all occupy this playmaking role, none seem to have the same impact as other attacking midfielders throughout the league: Nico Lodeiro (Seattle), Alejandro Pozuelo (Toronto), and Diego Valeri (Portland) to name a few.
To be fair, this is an extremely difficult position to fill that is typically associated with a big-money move for a player abroad and a designated player spot. Owner Joe Mansueto has not been hesitant to spend so far.
The question will become whether or not this front office can properly recognize and evaluate a good fit.
Just take a second and think about a midfield consisting of Medran, Gimenez, and a big-money playmaker…pretty sweet right?
Featured Image: MLSSoccer.com
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