Holiday traditions vary by family, religion, and culture. For many of us, the end of each year is a time to reflect on the passage of time, reconnect with family and friends, and eat and drink perhaps a bit more than is needed. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, December is a time for gift giving. In the American cultural tradition, this manifests as a whirlwind of commercialism, shopping sprees and blowout sales. In the Chicago Fire tradition, at least for the past several years, this time of year has been both a time for reflection on mistakes, and a time for shopping – for players, coaches, and new season ticket holders to replace those who have stopped throwing their hard earned dollars at a last place team.
A Holiday Wish List for Chicago Fire Fans
So, in keeping with the spirit of the season, I offer a wish list for Chicago Fire fans. Much like many childhood Christmas lists, there are some items on it that appear year after year, but are never purchased. There are some things that cost more than others, and some things that are better off as stocking stuffers.
–Centerbacks: For years, Chicago has had leaky defenses led by aging journeymen and unproven rookies. It says something about the state of things when their best central defender in recent memory was Arne Friedrich in his late 30s, essentially held together by an imported physical trainer, duct tape and paperclips. The Fire have gutted the defense and need not one, not two, but likely three reliable CB’s if they want to be respectable this season.
–A Star Player (Not purchased on Black Friday): Chicago is a great sports city. But just ask the late 90’s Blackhawks or Northwestern Football fans – if you’re not winning, and you don’t have star power, it’s hard to cut through the noise. The Fire had the city buzzing when they had stars like Hristo Stoichkov, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, and Brian McBride, but there hasn’t been a household name seen in Red and White since. Recent marquee signings by the Fire have seemed more like those deeply discounted Chinese plasma TVs on Black Friday – exciting highlights written all over the box, but completely disappointing performance after just a couple weeks of regular use. It’s time for a legitimate star purchase by Chicago, and management tried to land both Jermaine Jones and Didier Drogba. They are trying, but fans would REALLY appreciate it if the next effort panned out.
-Pavement (for the North Lot): It’s not so much that the most die-hard supporters have to tailgate in dusty gravel, or that the lack of painted parking lines leads to dangerous races out of the lot after every home game. The most egregious thing about the lack of pavement in the North parking lot is the fact that if the Fire did actually land Drogba, or Jones, or someone like Carlos Vela, they would have to walk a couple hundred yards across gravel every day to reach the turf practice facility at Toyota Park. It’s hardly a glamorous look for a club aiming to be a model club in MLS. And the stunning Bridgeview sights and smells you enjoy on the way to the practice field is the icing on the cake. Paving this lot is something that would have to be done by the city, but it’s the kind of low hanging fruit that could really make a lot of people happy for relatively little money.
-A good new color commentator: It was nice to have a few years of consistency with Dan Kelly and Kevin Egan in the booth, but Egan’s talents landed him a gig with BeIN Sports this summer. Hopefully Comcast can find a new color commentator who is as engaging, passionate, and entertaining as the young Irishman was.
-Playoffs! Trophies! Wins! Need I say more?
