coach Gregg Berhalter of the Chicago Fire poses for a photo with owner Joe Mansueto (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
This offseason, the Chicago Fire knew they had to make some broad sweeping changes, and they did just that. Having finished with the second-fewest points in all of Major League Soccer last season, it was definitely time for a major overhaul, and that started right at the top.
You now have a new Chicago Fire FC Head Coach and Director of Football in Gregg Berhalter, the man who managed the United States Men's National Team from 2018-24. The first American to participate in the World Cup as both a player and a head coach, he led the Stars and Stripes to the round of 16 at the 2022 edition of the quadrennial tournament.
He also led the USA to two Nations League titles and one Gold Cup championship. However, it's in MLS where Berhalter is much more accomplished, having led the LA Galaxy to two MLS Cups and two Supporters' Shields (most points in the regular season).
Now he attempts to bring that kind of success to Chicago's lakefront, where they haven't been to the MLS Cup playoffs since 2017.
“One of the main reasons why I joined the Chicago Fire is it's an ambitious club,” Berhalter said to RG at the season kickoff luncheon this week. “You see our training ground, and you hear about a potential new stadium, and the owner's been supportive since day one in trying to build a strong roster, and that's been very compelling in trying to both attract players, and eventually fans to the stadium to watch us play.”
Owner Joe Mansueto has not been shy about spending money to acquire new talent, it's just that most of the signings in recent years haven't really worked out.
However, the club has done some tremendous transfer business on the sales side in recent years, sending homegrown goalkeeper Gaga Slonina to Chelsea for a club record $10 million in the summer of 2022.
They broke that record again in January 2023 when they shipped Jhon Duran to Aston Villa for $18 million. This offseason saw the Fire make several splash signings, starting with Ivory Coast international and attacking midfielder Jonathan Bamba, who is the new Designated Player.
Bamba, who has played in two of Europe's big five leagues (Spain's La Liga with Celta Vigo, France's Ligue 1 with St. Etienne and Lille), was extremely impressive in the preseason Coachella Invitational.
“He has quality in offensive areas, finishing his attacks and providing service to his teammates,” Berhalter said about Bamba.
The Fire also brought in forward/second striker/attacking midfielder Philip Zinckernagel from Club Brugge (he also has experience with big European clubs Watford and OIympiacos) and Rominigue Kouamé, via a loan deal from Spanish club Cádiz.
“We've made a lot of new additions, both in high-caliber players and in depth players, to try and build a strong roster that can compete,” Berhalter said.
Another Fire player to watch is midfielder Kellyn Acosta, who has a lot of chemistry with Berhalter, having already played for him on the USMNT.
“Getting to work with him again is great,” said Acosta. “I think the guys are really buying into his system and enjoying our football, being a guy that Gregg knows, he can lean on me to echo his sentiments to the team.”
Acosta will be one of the first names that Berhalter fills in on the club's team sheet, just like he has for the country. During the 2022 World Cup qualifying, Acosta, along with Tyler Adams and Antonee "Jedi" Robinson led the USA in appearances, as they all featured in 13 out of the 14 qualifiers.
For Berhalter, this will be his first MLS gig in seven years. He discussed the differences in managing for club versus for country.
“In club soccer, you have more time to develop a team, so I think you'll see a more cohesiveness in the group,” he said.
“National/international soccer gives you a tremendous amount of pride, representing your country, and you see that in all the matches where there is a lot of stake, and again it's a tremendous honor.”
Berhalter discussed all that's changed in MLS, since the last time he coached in the American top flight:
“You know, [Lionel] Messi wasn't in the league. That's the first difference, the best player in the world, so that's right off the bat,” said Berhalter. ”There are six more teams now. The facilities have improved when you think of all the new stadiums in the league.”
It all starts Saturday when the Fire visit the very last team that Berhalter coached, the Columbus Crew, in the season opener.
However, the first major litmus test comes in the third home game of the season, the eighth overall, when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami come to Soldier Field.
Messi's Miami side, a huge box office draw each and every match, won last season's MLS Supporters Shield.
This season, expectations are as high as they've been in recent years for the Fire, as the Men in Red are projected to do quite well, and easily end the club's long postseason drought.
It won't be long until we see if all those changes end up yielding positive results. With an ambitious sporting structure and a presence in the nation's third-largest market, the Fire are indeed a true sleeping giant.
“Sometimes change is good,” said Acosta.“It's kind of a reset, a fresh start, fresh energy, fresh everything with the new coaching staff, a new training ground, new player personnel, new roles within the team, it's huge, and it's good.”
Paul M. Banks
