Write On Sports LLC - "Chicago Fire 2006: Riding Far on Training Wheels" by Jeff Bull

Chicago Fire 2006: Riding Far on Training Wheels

2007-01-09 12:47:33 | By: Jeff Bull

2006 was not supposed to be the Chicago Fire’s year - and for a couple of reasons. For starters, continuing construction on their new home stadium, Toyota Park, meant they would start the season with nine straight road games. No less significantly, Chicago looked a little light in terms of “stars”; there was no Dwayne DeRosario, Landon Donovan, or Clint Dempsey to lead them against the league. And yet, during an incredible August and September, Chicago had everyone’s number to the extent that few sensible observers would bet against them.

The question is did Chicago over-achieve? Or did they blow what looked like a strong shot at the domestic double?

New Men

Unlike a lot of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) franchises, the Chicago Fire essentially stuck with their 2005 roster - more to the point, the faces they changed gave away little in quality. For instance, long-time Fire midfielder Jesse Marsch left for Chivas USA, but head coach Dave Sarachan brought in an almost perfect replacement in Diego Gutierrez. Similarly, rookie defender Dasan Robinson’s rapid adjustment to MLS play meant Chicago lost little when Jack Stewart went to Real Salt Lake. Other departures - notably, forward Lubos Reiter and defender Samuel Caballero - hardly registered.

Overall, Chicago continued bringing in and relying on young players under Sarachan. Players like Robinson, along with midfielder Brian Plotkin and forward Calen Carr, joined 2005 draftees like forwards Chris Rolfe and Chad Barrett to provide remarkably effective, if unexpected, depth. By late September, when Chicago lifted its MLS-record fourth Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Chicago’s ability to rotate players did more than allow them to survive a congested late summer schedule - it set them up to thrive.

The Bad

The U.S. Open Cup constitutes part one of the domestic double; MLS Cup is the second piece. One can’t appreciate Chicago’s disappointment at failing to “do the double” without noting on the team’s impressive record over the season’s final two months. After going into the All-Star break at 5-7-7, like much of the up-and-down Eastern Conference, the Fire rolled through August and September, going 12-4-1 in all competitions; take away the Open Cup wins and they still went 9-4-1 in the league. Only DC United’s mid-season unbeaten streak topped that - and no one else came close. The requisite footnote: the Fire essentially ceded the “hottest team in the East” title to the New England Revolution by losing two of their final three games. Perhaps it was no coincidence that the same team ousted them from the playoffs.

Here, one comes against the down side of having a young team. There are certainly veteran players on the team - not only Gutierrez, but also Tony Sanneh and midfielder Chris Armas - but one could argue a little on-field leadership left the Fire with Jesse Marsch. More significantly, all these players are getting (well) on in years: Armas turned 34 in August, as did Gutierrez shortly after the season ended; Sanneh, for his part, turned 35 in June 2006. Though all players had fine seasons, one has to question whether age prevents them from stepping up their game when a game demands it. Whatever caused the fatal stumble in 2006, that short list poses a greater problem for the future: which players will take on-field charge of this team when the, um, “elder statesmen” shortly retire?

The Good

The best news for Chicago: the general youth on the roster. In fact, many of the Fire’s best players are already performing very well before their prime playing years: forwards Rolfe, Barrett, and Carr will be 24, 22, and 24 during the ’07 season; midfielders Plotkin, Thiago, and most significantly, Justin Mapp, who enjoyed nothing short of a break-out 2006, all turn 23, 25, and 23 during the next year - Mapp only toward the playoff push. Two spring chickens start in defense, with Robinson reaching the ripe age of 23 in June and Gonzalo Segares at 25. Put 25-year-old Matt Pickens in goal and you’ve almost got a starting eleven - and not a bad one at that - without naming a player in the second half of his 20s. Assuming they can keep this team together, Chicago’s got the foundation for a solid future.

The Fire’s already-mentioned rotation system takes this one-step better: all those players logged decent time in meaningful games over the past season. They know the league and have shown they can cope with the level of play. The architect of this system, head coach Dave Sarachan, deserves an ample helping of the credit for blooding his squad, ensuring they’ll be prepared to step in when needed.

Wrap-Up

To add another puzzling statistic to Chicago’s razor-thin playoff collapse, one can check their record against their Eastern Conference rivals. Only one Eastern Conference team fought Chicago to a stand-still in ’06 - the Columbus Crew, who balanced the season series at 1-1-2. Chicago got the better of every other team - and in all competitions: the Fire beat DC United, the Kansas City Wizards, and the Revolution 3-1-1 on the season once the Open Cup games are added to the mix; they went 2-1-1 against Red Bull New York. Given those numbers, Chicago had good reason to feel confident entering the post-season. Instead they fell at the first hurdle - against a New England team that arguably proved more lucky than good. So, again, did they over-achieve for two months only to have a penalty-kick loss drag them back to Earth? Every team has off days, to be sure; maybe Chicago’s just came at the worst possible time.

The Future

The biggest question mark surrounding Chicago’s future comes with a player not yet mentioned: striker Nate Jaqua, whom Sarachan briefly converted to a right-sided midfielder, left the club for Los Angeles (after two stops) after the ’06 season. The greater problem arises less from covering the 8 goals and 2 assists he contributed last season than from replacing the big forward’s physical presence in front of goal. Barrett has the physical strength, but, good as he was last year, he hasn’t reached Jaqua’s level; Costa Rican forward Andy Herron put together a stellar late-season run, but couldn’t maintain that level for the season.

But the most ominous problems rear from the central midfield: will Armas and Gutierrez be able to contribute at the same level as the years haul them down? Who will replace Sanneh, who finally repaid the Fire’s high salary last season, in 2007? The emergence of Justin Mapp on the left side of midfield, Matt Pickens in goal, Dasan Robinson in goal, Chicago gives ample cause for optimism; it’s even possible one of these players could assume a leadership role. But, in 2006, Sarachan showed an ability to get a lot out of a group of fairly anonymous players; it’s a fair bet that he’ll do so again in 2007.

Editor's Note: This is part of a series wrapping up the 2006 season for each of Major League Soccer's 12 teams. Readers can find other entries in the series by clicking on the author's byline.

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