Georg Heitz said his ambition is one of the reasons he’s taking over the Fire’s soccer operations.
He’ll have to match that ambition with an ability to work and learn fast.
Officially hired Friday as sporting director, Heitz has little time to settle in. With training camp a month away, the Fire’s situation is well-documented: no coach, no Designated Players, and only a 17-man roster. To compound the challenge, Major League Soccer has unique and challenging roster rules and salary limits, regulations that Heitz didn’t have to battle when he worked with Swiss club FC Basel.
“I’m studying (the regulations) every day,” Heitz told the Sun-Times. “I would be a liar if I told you that I’ve got everything now and I understood everything, but I like to (work with a team) and I’ve found people who function the same way. They’re all so supportive. It’s really, really a pleasure and we have to share know-how, because otherwise it cannot work.”
A former journalist with FIFA and Swiss newspaper Basler Zeitung, Heitz spent eight years with FC Basel and the club won eight domestic titles during that time. From 2012-17, Heitz was the club’s sporting director and helped FC Basel bolster its reputation as one of the best sources of talent for Europe’s top teams.
“In every position at our football club – both on and off the field – we want to have a world-class professional in each role,” Fire owner Joe Mansueto said in a news release. “We know we have found that in Georg, who we are excited to welcome to the Fire family. Georg’s experience, inclusive of leading FC Basel to eight consecutive Swiss titles, will help us in our primary goal of winning championships.”
At least to start, Heitz will need some assistance figuring out MLS.
Heitz said the people helping include Nelson Rodriguez and senior director of soccer operations Eddie Rock. Rodriguez, meanwhile, is still president of the franchise and is only involved in the business side, though he can be a resource to help Heitz navigate the Byzantine MLS rules while he gets up to speed.
“I have to learn it. This is clear,” Heitz said. “For this transfer window, I need big support. I hope afterwards it will be less, but Eddie is anyway in a position at the club where he will be involved in things, and Nelson is the president of this club and he knows everything and more about MLS.
“They will help.”
Other than learning about his new league, Heitz’s priority is finding a coach.
Heitz said he likes active and offensive teams that are entertaining, and the coach must fit that profile and be aligned philosophically with him and Mansueto. And don’t be surprised if that hire comes quickly, since Heitz is hoping to announce a new coach “very soon.”
“Of course, this is a priority,” Heitz said. “We are already talking to candidates, more than one. I like to work with profiles when it comes to players, but also when it comes to coaches. We have made a profile and now we are having talks.”
Even with everything Heitz must do without much time, he isn’t lowering expectations for himself and the 2020 Fire.
“I have one principle: no excuses, no alibis,” Heitz said. “We’re all professionals. We are paid to make the right decisions. I don’t think too much about facts we cannot change. It is clear that we want to reach the playoffs next season, and from then on anything is possible. We will improve in the upcoming months. Be sure we will improve.”
