The Chicago Fire offseason is certainly ongoing, alright.
I won’t lie to you, it’s been a pretty uneventful winter window so far. The club hasn’t done a whole lot of anything. That was understandable during the World Cup, but that ended over a week ago.
As a result, it has been tough to think of article ideas. I’ve covered most of the current roster, the good and the bad, and I haven’t been sure what to do since.
That was until I went to take a shower. The heater had gone out at my apartment, so the hot water coming from my shower head was my best source of warmth at the time. I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That meant I had time to think.
Thankfully my mind didn’t wander too far into an internal pit of despair. Instead, I began to wonder about a number of different Fire topics. Not anything too substantial, of course, but enough to make a few separate sections of an article.
This is that article.
Swap swap
There was a bit of news recently, to be fair.
On Tuesday, the club announced two moves that were linked to one another. Right back Jhon Espinoza was let go and effectively sent to Swiss Super League side FC Lugano, while winger Maren Haile-Selassie went the other way.
First, Espinoza. The news of his departure may have made a few within the fanbase and organization a bit sad, but it was certainly the right thing to do. He had been given plenty of chances to prove himself, and he disappointed almost every single time. The Ecuadorian simply wasn’t good enough, even if he had room for improvement at the age of 23.
Second, Haile-Selassie. I’m not going to pretend like I had any idea who he was before Chicago signed him. His name immediately reminded me of former Werder Bremen stalwart Theodor Gebre Selassie, so that was a good start.
A quick look at his stats this season shows some promise, with three goals and three assists in 20 appearances across all competitions. He’s also quite young, as he’ll be 24 at the start of the 2023 campaign. The Swiss attacker isn’t likely to be a gamechanger, but he should prove to be a useful piece of depth off the bench.
All in all, a good bit of business.
Superduper draft
Going a bit further into the past, there was the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.
The draft used to be a lot more exciting. Before the rise of academies across the league, many bright talents joined MLS through the draft. Since the Fire were pretty bad during these times, they had high picks, which led to hope and optimism for the future. Who could forget the Jack Harrison for Brandon Vincent trade back in 2016.
There are still some intriguing players available, but the magic just isn’t there anymore. That was especially true for Chicago, who didn’t even have a pick in the opening two rounds. However, they did have three in the third round.
I know nothing about the players they selected, so I’ll just judge them on vibes.
We’re off to a good start with Noah Egan, who shares a last name with Sheffield United center back John Egan, and he was decent in the Premier League. Noah Egan played college ball at Vermont, which is a cool place to do so. Also, judging from his pictures, he looks like a tough lad. I certainly wouldn’t want to go into a midfield battle against him.
Only three picks later came the selection of Billy Hency. He’s a local lad, as he played for Loyola University in Chicago, and he played quite well there. There’s a connection to former Fire player Elliot Collier, who also featured for the Ramblers, although few have fond memories of the latter. Hency is a midfielder who is a threat in the final third, which could bring a new dynamic to the side.
Last but not least was Wilmer Cabrera Jr. A Butler University product, Cabrera Jr is the son of a former Colombia international, which is neat. He also has a bunch of experience at various levels. He played in the USL for Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, he was a part of the IMG Academy in Florida, and he’s been a part of the Colorado Rapids and Houston Dynamo academies as well.
The MLS website gave the Fire a B grade for their efforts, which seems like a fair rating. This trio of picks will probably spend most of the campaign with the Fire II team in MLS Next Pro, but there’s a chance at least one of them features for the first team at some stage. Then again, maybe this is the last we’ll ever hear of any of them. That’s just the reality of the draft at this stage.
Kit watch
Some of the teams in MLS have had their new kits for the 2023 season leaked to the public. The Fire aren’t one of them, but it might not be long until some sort of information comes out. Until then, why not wildly speculate?
For all intents and purposes, the jersey will almost certainly be white. Chicago has nearly always gone with a white away kit, and since the home one will be the same dark blue jersey as last season, it makes sense from a contrast point of view.
The dark blue factor also makes it unlikely that the Fire will switch things up and go with a black kit. It would be too similar to the home jersey.
There are some fun options still on the table. Chicago once had a special-edition yellow kit, so maybe they could bring that color back out of nowhere. Fans have always wanted to see the light blue of the city’s flag all across a jersey, and maybe this is the year they’ll get it.
I’ve got an idea though.
When the Fire re-rebranded, it was made clear that supporters wanted the club to return to a red home kit. They agreed, but they announced that it couldn’t happen until the 2024 season due to their contract with Adidas. However, no one ever said they couldn't have a red away jersey.
Release a new red kit, preferably with a white stripe across the middle, and call it the away jersey. If you’re able to, wear it at every home game possible. If MLS and Adidas become sticklers and refuse to let Chicago wear it at Soldier Field, then they can at least still showcase their red roots on the road before 2024, when that jersey would then become the home kit.
Or just make it purple who cares anymore.
Hey look I’m writing about Gastón again
Ok seriously what are the Fire going to do about Gastón Giménez?
I know his Designated Player status was effectively revoked earlier in the offseason, but the Fire are still going to treat him as a key man in the side. The problem is fitting him into the starting lineup.
The easiest and most predictable solution would be to slot him in the midfield alongside Federico Navarro. However, that forces Mauricio Pineda to the bench, which isn’t fair considering how good he was last season. He was one of the team’s better players despite having a diminished role in the lineup, and he’ll feel like he deserves to start at this rate.
Alright, so play all three in midfield. That would mean a formation change, as none of those guys can thrive in the number 10 position. In theory a flat midfield trio could work, but it seems head coach Ezra Hendrickson is committed to playing Xherdan Shaqiri as an attacking midfielder.
To do that and still have the aforementioned midfield three, you have to utilize a diamond in the middle. That leaves two players up top, and even though a two-striker system is an interesting idea, it doesn’t suit Chicago’s current roster. The likes of Jairo Torres, Chris Mueller, and Brian Gutiérrez wouldn’t have a natural role in the side, and that would be a waste of their talents.
There’s no reason to believe Hendrickson would shift to a back three or five, so the only option left is to bench Giménez. That’s what many in the fanbase want to see, but it’s not what the club wants to do. They’ve simply invested too much in the player at this stage, so they’re going to make him an important part of the team until everything crashes and burns.
Either way, it’ll be interesting to see how the Fire approaches this whole situation. Maybe Boca Juniors are still interested?