During his first media availability as Fire coach, Raphael Wicky sounded like somebody who recognizes how much work is still ahead of him and the entire club before their March 1 opener at Seattle. But at the same time, it seems like he understands how badly Fire fans want a winner after spending much of the last decade in the abyss.
“We will try to build as quick as possible a culture and a winning team,” Wicky told reporters Wednesday. “But the reality is that, you can see that in every sport all over the world, it takes time to build something. But that’s not an alibi. We want to win. That is the mentality the players already have, the staff, myself want to give (the fans). But it’s not going to happen overnight.
“I can’t tell you if it’s going to be in two weeks, two months, in three months, but we’re working on that hard every day.”
Wicky was officially hired Dec. 27, taking over a team in transition after the departures of Designated Players Bastian Schweinsteiger, Nemanja Nikolic and Aleksandar Katai, captain Dax McCarty, and playmaker Nicolas Gaitan. When he was approached by sporting director Georg Heitz, Wicky knew what condition the roster was in and how much still needed to be added.
“But I never saw it as a negative,” Wicky said. “I saw it as a great opportunity to build something.”
The building is still ongoing.
The Fire have signed striker Robert Beric as a Designated Player and added Homegrown and potential contributor Mauricio Pineda. But the club is still thin and needs help in the midfield, along the back line, and perhaps in net. Ideally, the roster-building would have been completed by Jan. 18 when the players began reporting for medical testing.
“I knew when I took the job that I’m going to need to be a little bit patient,” Wicky said. “I know that everyone in the club who’s involved works hard on that. They’re working hard and there will be players coming in.”
The quality of those players and how well they mesh will determine whether the 2020 season is a success for Wicky and the Fire. He didn’t dismiss their chances to win in 2020, but continued to stress the building necessary.
“I don’t say that we’re not going to win overnight,” Wicky said. “To build a team, to build something new takes some time. That is also the experience I have (had). We want to win, and I’m sure we’re going to win games. I’m not going to try to be somehow passive or anything. I’m just saying, and everyone who knows sports knows that, it’s not going to happen overnight.”
In some ways, that mirrors the state of the franchise.
Wicky, who had been the coach of the United States’ Under-17 team, said he saw the Fire as a great opportunity to start building something with new people. He had good conversations with Heitz and owner Joe Mansueto, recognized the team’s infrastructural upgrades, and the move to Soldier Field.
“There is something going on in this club,” Wicky said. “This Is an exciting time for me to be the head coach.”
It’s also a challenging time.
NOTE: The Fire announced that tickets are on sale for the March 21 home opener. All single-game tickets will be available Feb. 21.
