2009 MLS Season Preview: Chicago Fire

By: travis | March 4th, 2009

Starting March 4, and continuing up until March 19, I’ll be previewing every team prior to the First Kick of the 2009 season. I’m going in alphabetical order, with a final season prediction coming at the end of everything. My goal? To make sure that every team is covered here at MLS Offside, with each team blog going into much further detail than I will.

If I’ve looked at my alphabet correctly, Chicago is first.

2008: 13-10-7, 46 pts, second in the East, lost in Eastern Conference finals.

Services acquired: Baggio Husidic

Left the building: Tomasz Frankowski, Diego Gutierrez, Andy Herron, Stephen King, Lider Marmol

Coach: Denis Hamlett, entering second full season with Chicago.

All Eyes on Me: Cuatemoc Blanco is the man in the middle for the Fire, and his play can at times make or break the Fire. If Blanco is in a grumpy mood and not playing well with teammates, the whole team could be unsettled. Combined that with the fact he signed a new deal prior to this season and there’s some pressure on him to perform. I expect another solid year from the Mexican, provided that he keeps that temper of his in check.

Player(s) to Watch: Apart from Blanco, you have former USMNT Brian McBride as the other focal point of the attack. Chris Rolfe and John Thorrington. What they do and how they supplement the two others will dictate the sort of attack that the Fire have this year.

Young Guns: The Fire haven’t acquired too many new faces during the offseason, with Baggio Husidic representing their first pick in the 2009 SuperDraft. Two of last season’s picks, Patrick Nyarko and Marco Pappa are on the cusp of playing — it’ll just depend if they can crack the first XI or not. Look for Pappa to give Justin Mapp a good run for a midfielder spot, while I still think Nyarko is a year or two away. Perhaps a contributor off the bench.

Bottom Line: From the back to the front, this is one of the league’s deepest and most dangerous teams — provided that all it’s moveable parts are in order. The Blanco and McBride duo should cause nightmares to opposing defenses in the same way that Bakary Soumare, Wilman Conde, and Jon Busch will stifle the opposite side’s attack. The big question that they’ll face is whether or not they can mesh and work well as a unit. If they can, expect another run at the Conference Final and perhaps an MLS Cup to boot.