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Special: Chicago Fire Are In Need of Another Big Star
One penalty kick away from the MLS Cup finals, the Fire must now look to rebuild in an offseason destined to be riddled with change.
Dec 9, 2009 1:15:57 AM
People who attended or viewed either of the Chicago Fire’s last two home playoff games this past month most certainly saw a promising franchise. Rabid sellout crowds attended both matches, and there was an excitement and confidence within the team that caught one's attention.
All of the excitement came crashing down after the unexpected penalty kick loss to eventual surprise champions Real Salt Lake.
Denis Hamlett, who surely knew the writing was on the wall after they crashed out of the playoffs, was nearly speechless as he mustered all he had left to give what would be his last post-game press conference after the defeat.
Looking forward to 2010 there are many questions left to be answered for the boys from Bridgeview, but the largest question mark is how will Chicago replace the play and more importantly, the fanatical draw of Cuauhtemoc Blanco?
Some are more far-fetched than others, but here are a few players who would improve the product on the field as well as fill the stadium.
Amado Guevara – The 33 year old Honduran international has just finished leading an emotional qualifying campaign that saw his side punch a ticket to the 2010 World Cup. Given their documented issues while at Chivas USA, with Preki taking over the helm at Toronto FC it would not be a shocker to see the midfielder move on from the club. After all, he was left unprotected for the expansion draft, but the Philadelphia Union decided they would do fine without the crafty veteran. If I am Fire Technical Director Frank Klopas there is no way I can’t at least consider looking into the possibility of bringing Guevara to the Fire. In Guevara the team would have the playmaking abilities of Blanco combined with some speed and mobility (honestly, who is not faster than Blanco?). Despite his reputation for causing distension in the locker room, the strong leadership of C.J. Brown and Brian McBride should be enough to deal with any issues that arise. Sure the whole Bakary Soumare thing didn’t end well, but at 33 Guevara does not have the leisure of jumping ship and heading to Europe and therefore will have more incentive to make his next stop work. Whomever the Fire brings in as their new coach would obviously be a huge factor in a decision like this, but his abilities combined with his star potential among the large group of Hispanic Fire supporters could make this a match made in heaven.
DaMarcus Beasley - I know what you are thinking: there is no way the Fire could have any use for a seemingly washed up 130 pound bag of bones. Hear me out. Up until he got injured in 2007 and then again in 2008, the young native of Fort Wayne, Indiana was playing regularly for Rangers, and playing well. It now appears that the winger (whom Bob Bradley tried to convert to left back….what??!) is itching to get out of Ibrox and on to a situation where he can play. While a loan to a European club in the January transfer window would be ideal for him, a return to MLS after that loan spell could be a good thing for both the Fire and Beasley. Keep in mind that he is only 27 years old. Biologically speaking, the man has a lot left to offer on the field, and given the right situation, could be poised for a comeback to the form we saw earlier this decade. Can you imagine a healthy DaMarcus Beasley and young Marco Pappa storming down the wings for the Fire next season? I can.
Ronaldo - Although he seems to be doing just fine for Corinthians in his native Brazil, and the cold weather could scare him away, wouldn’t you love to see him try his hand in MLS? Despite his well-documented weight issues, I still contend he has many goals left in his boots. It would be great to see him lined up with Brian McBride, in what would surely be one of the most feared starting forward pairs in MLS history. While it appears that Ronaldo will stay around at least one more season at Corinthians, it is fun to imagine the World Cup’s all time leading goal scorer playing in the MLS. Sure Ronaldo doesn’t do anything to solidify your defense, but then again neither did Blanco. One thing for certain is that Ronaldo would certainly create a great deal of buzz for Chicago.
Euzebiusz "Ebi" Smolerak - In case people didn’t know, there is a massive Polish population in the Chicago area. The Fire are not ignorant to this fact either, as they brought in Polish striker Tomasz Frankowski in 2008. Although his play faded throughout the year, Frankowski was an instant crowd favorite at Toyota Park where they not only have PA announcements in English and Spanish, but also Polish. Smolerak would be perfect because he is better and younger than Frankowski was when he was in Chicago. Smolerak signed with Spanish club Racing Santander after a spectacular spell with the Polish national team leading up to the European Championships in 2008. He went on loan to Bolton for the 2008/2009 season, but in the end he didn’t do enough to earn a contract from the English club and has since been dropped by Racing this past fall. Smolerak is having a difficult time finding a club in Europe and a move to MLS could be just what the 28 year old needs to boost his confidence, as he would most certainly be an instant crowd favorite.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco - What could be better than bringing back Blanco to replace Blanco? After all, though aging, he has certainly proved he still has a lot to offer MLS in terms of quality as a player. Even if he gets slower, he still has the savvy passing ability and ball skills that have made him legendary. Although his move to Mexican second division side Veracruz indicates he may be planning to retire and head off into the sunset, there were talks of him pulling a David Beckham and coming back to the Fire after his season is done next spring. It was no secret that Klopas practically begged the Mexican international to stay, and it certainly could not hurt Blanco to come back and give it one more run with the Fire in 2010.
If not one of these players, then hopefully Klopas has something up his sleeve, because it would be a shame to deprive one of our nation’s best soccer cities of a great on-field product in 2010.
Isaac Heath, Goal.com
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page
All of the excitement came crashing down after the unexpected penalty kick loss to eventual surprise champions Real Salt Lake.
Denis Hamlett, who surely knew the writing was on the wall after they crashed out of the playoffs, was nearly speechless as he mustered all he had left to give what would be his last post-game press conference after the defeat.
Looking forward to 2010 there are many questions left to be answered for the boys from Bridgeview, but the largest question mark is how will Chicago replace the play and more importantly, the fanatical draw of Cuauhtemoc Blanco?
Some are more far-fetched than others, but here are a few players who would improve the product on the field as well as fill the stadium.
 |
DaMarcus Beasley - I know what you are thinking: there is no way the Fire could have any use for a seemingly washed up 130 pound bag of bones. Hear me out. Up until he got injured in 2007 and then again in 2008, the young native of Fort Wayne, Indiana was playing regularly for Rangers, and playing well. It now appears that the winger (whom Bob Bradley tried to convert to left back….what??!) is itching to get out of Ibrox and on to a situation where he can play. While a loan to a European club in the January transfer window would be ideal for him, a return to MLS after that loan spell could be a good thing for both the Fire and Beasley. Keep in mind that he is only 27 years old. Biologically speaking, the man has a lot left to offer on the field, and given the right situation, could be poised for a comeback to the form we saw earlier this decade. Can you imagine a healthy DaMarcus Beasley and young Marco Pappa storming down the wings for the Fire next season? I can.
Ronaldo - Although he seems to be doing just fine for Corinthians in his native Brazil, and the cold weather could scare him away, wouldn’t you love to see him try his hand in MLS? Despite his well-documented weight issues, I still contend he has many goals left in his boots. It would be great to see him lined up with Brian McBride, in what would surely be one of the most feared starting forward pairs in MLS history. While it appears that Ronaldo will stay around at least one more season at Corinthians, it is fun to imagine the World Cup’s all time leading goal scorer playing in the MLS. Sure Ronaldo doesn’t do anything to solidify your defense, but then again neither did Blanco. One thing for certain is that Ronaldo would certainly create a great deal of buzz for Chicago.
 |
Euzebiusz "Ebi" Smolerak - In case people didn’t know, there is a massive Polish population in the Chicago area. The Fire are not ignorant to this fact either, as they brought in Polish striker Tomasz Frankowski in 2008. Although his play faded throughout the year, Frankowski was an instant crowd favorite at Toyota Park where they not only have PA announcements in English and Spanish, but also Polish. Smolerak would be perfect because he is better and younger than Frankowski was when he was in Chicago. Smolerak signed with Spanish club Racing Santander after a spectacular spell with the Polish national team leading up to the European Championships in 2008. He went on loan to Bolton for the 2008/2009 season, but in the end he didn’t do enough to earn a contract from the English club and has since been dropped by Racing this past fall. Smolerak is having a difficult time finding a club in Europe and a move to MLS could be just what the 28 year old needs to boost his confidence, as he would most certainly be an instant crowd favorite.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco - What could be better than bringing back Blanco to replace Blanco? After all, though aging, he has certainly proved he still has a lot to offer MLS in terms of quality as a player. Even if he gets slower, he still has the savvy passing ability and ball skills that have made him legendary. Although his move to Mexican second division side Veracruz indicates he may be planning to retire and head off into the sunset, there were talks of him pulling a David Beckham and coming back to the Fire after his season is done next spring. It was no secret that Klopas practically begged the Mexican international to stay, and it certainly could not hurt Blanco to come back and give it one more run with the Fire in 2010.
If not one of these players, then hopefully Klopas has something up his sleeve, because it would be a shame to deprive one of our nation’s best soccer cities of a great on-field product in 2010.
Isaac Heath, Goal.com
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page
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