On Oct. 25, 2017, the Fire lost 4-0 to the New York Red Bulls in an Eastern Conference playoff game. Though the season ended with a thud, 2017 was a success for the Fire, who finished third overall in the league and seemed to have a foundation in place.
Two years later, only four players are left from that team and the Fire are still searching for a successful core.
As expected, on Tuesday the Fire traded captain Dax McCarty to 2020 expansion club Nashville SC for $100,000 in allocation money and a 2021 second-round pick. McCarty, 32, spent three seasons with the Fire and appeared in 86 regular-season matches, and also played in the 2017 MLS All-Star Game at Soldier Field.
“We are entering a new cycle with the team’s roster,” Fire president and general manager Nelson Rodríguez said in a news release. “Dax helped us through an important stage in the club’s history and he will be remembered among our fans’ most favorite players. We wish Dax and his family all the best with their new opportunity in Nashville.”
With McCarty, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Nemanja Nikolic gone, the Fire find themselves in a familiar spot: They’re trying to establish a core as anything resembling sustained success has eluded the franchise.
Regarding that 2017 group that lost to the Red Bulls, the only two starters left from that night are Johan Kappelhof and Djordje Mihailovic. Goalie Richard Sanchez and midfielder Brandt Bronico are all that remain from the bench, and Sanchez could be gone by the start of next season.
Following that defeat to New York, 2017 starters such as Matt Polster and Brandon Vincent looked like pieces for the future. But Polster left for Scottish club Rangers before the 2019 season, and Vincent surprisingly retired after 2018.
The Fire do have some parts that could be part of a future core, not to mention whoever else comes in this offseason.
Whether it’s as a right back or in the middle, Kappelhof figures to be a key part of the 2020 group, as does midfielder Alvaro Medran. Bronico established himself, Mihailovic has shown flashes and has U.S. national-team appearances under his belt but didn’t progress in 2019. Przemyslaw Frankowski became the Fire’s most potent attacker and CJ Sapong was their most consistent finisher.
Yet as the Fire move back into the city, Rodriguez and coach Veljko Paunovic are still working to build a winning foundation. Because four full seasons into their time in Chicago, the Fire still don’t have one.
