The Veljko Paunovic era is officially in full swing. A tumultuous pre-season featured some of everything: trialists, controversial trades, surprising standout players, even a trophy. The only thing not featured this pre-season for the Chicago Fire was a loss. And that’s just fine with everybody involved.
Much has been written about the results, and the Simple Invitational championship won by the Men in Red. Much has also been written about Paunovic and his refreshing, contemporary tactics. But what are some other things Fire fans can take away from the pre-season besides Voodoo doughnuts and another invitational trophy?
The tactics truly are flexible: Around this time last year, fans were wondering why Frank Yallop’s promised “attractive soccer” 4-5-1 looked so much like an empty bucket 4-4-2. When Veljko Paunovic promised something similar, and promised a “flexible” team, some fans were skeptical. That skepticism should be gone now.
After playing a high-pressure 4-5-1 or a 4-4-2 against most of the teams on their warmup schedule, the Fire lined up with five in the back against Portland. The 5-3-2 featured Michael Harrington and Brandon Vincent as wingbacks, and Joao Meira, Jon Campbell, and Johan Kappelhof as center backs. Instead of pressing high, the team absorbed pressure and hit the Timbers on the counter. Late in the match they shifted to a four man backline to close up shop.
Though pre-season is always a great time to experiment with positions, formations, and tactics, it appears Paunovic was serious when he said that his team’s formation and tactics will depend on the opponent. It would also explain his roster building so far. The Fire have signed lots of impressionable young talent and supported them with European veterans who have experience with, and an understanding of, various formations and systems. John Goossens and Kappelhof are both Ajax academy products and having them in the spine of the team with Matt Polster, a US National team prospect, will go a long way toward allowing the team to shift formations on the fly.
Competition for starting keeper: Sean Johnson has had the starting goalkeeper spot locked down for quite some time while he was challenging Bill Hamid for a spot on the US National team roster. But there have been signs for a couple seasons now that his run in Chicago may be coming to an end. First, he failed to get an offer from any of the European clubs he has trained with in the offseason. Then, he appeared to fall out of favor with Jurgen Klinsmann. Last season, when his form slumped, Jon Busch (currently with Indy Eleven) took the starting role.
Now the Fire appear to be, at the very least, looking at other options. They have brought in Patrick McLain, the starter last season for Sacremento Republic, as well as Matt Lampson, who played the full 90 minutes against the Portland Timbers with the first team last weekend. Both are a step up from Alec Kann and have much more upside than Jon Busch did (he was 38 last season). Sean Johnson is probably the best shot stopper of the three, but McLain and Lampson have a skill that has long been Johnson’s weakness – they are comfortable with the ball at their feet. In the Portland match, defenders passed to Lampson multiple times while circulating the ball. Several times he was under pressure and showed composure and skill not often seen from MLS keepers in those situations. Johnson may not have lost the starting spot yet, but there will surely be intense competition in practice in the following weeks.
The “process” is not being rushed: This team is not being built to win tomorrow. They might find early success, but Nelson Rodriguez is clearly not in a hurry. The technical staff has been building the roster from defense forward, which is a sensible thing to do in a total rebuild, but the season starts in less than a week and Chicago still lack depth at the attacking positions. There are two true forwards on the roster in Gilberto and Kennedy Igboananike. Joey Calistri spent nearly the entire pre-season on the wings. The Fire also still need a true central attacking midfielder. John Goossens and Arturo Alvarez are the only real options at this point. Goossens has a history of injury and Alvarez is a 30-year-old who has played most of his career on the wings. Rodriguez has admitted the team is still looking for reinforcements in these positions, but has offered no time frame for when they will be brought in. In the meantime, fans will be hoping the team’s attackers stay healthy.
When the Fire take the field at Toyota Park this season, they will be a totally different team. Their play at the Simple Invitational has shown that Paunovic has a plan, and his players are willing to put it into practice. However, Chicago has had undefeated pre-seasons before and it’s never stopped them from regressing to the mean once the regular season began. But, this season feels different and the team has already looked more organized than they did at any point during Yallop’s tenure. That alone is cause to celebrate.
Main Photo: Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images
