The Fire’s goal is to reach the 2021 playoffs.
If they don’t, could that mean trouble for coach Raphael Wicky?
Hired Dec. 27, 2019, Wicky signed a two-year deal plus a club option for 2022. His first season in Chicago was not a success, as the Fire found a way to miss the 10-team Eastern Conference playoffs behind two expansion clubs.
Wicky’s second began in earnest Monday when the Fire kicked off preseason training in Bridgeview. Whether or not Wicky gets a third year could depend on if the Fire improve, and one indication of progress could be making the playoffs.
During a media teleconference Monday, Fire sporting director Georg Heitz was asked when he’ll decide on Wicky’s option and what criteria he’ll use to make that call. Heitz said the Fire won’t rush into that decision and didn’t give a specific timeline for the choice.
“Look, basically I prefer to have these talks internally and first speak with the people who are concerned,” Heitz said. “But it is clear we want to make more progress this season. And it’s professional sports, so it always also has to do with results in the end. This is clear.”
Obviously, the 2020 campaign was not an easy one for the Fire. Heitz was hired Dec. 20, 2019, adding an extra degree of difficulty to their season. The roster came together late, and then everything was interrupted by the pandemic.
Wicky deserves credit for the Fire having just one COVID-19 positive last year. His forceful and understanding words during a year of sharper focus on racial issues also deserve commendation.
But at the same time, the on-field results were not good enough.
For all the talk of advanced metrics and being tough to play against, the Fire won five of 23 games and none on the road. They also came up short in big moments by failing to advance in the MLS is Back tournament and going winless in their last six regular-season games when a playoff spot was in their grasp.
Another year of that, and the questions around Wicky will only intensify. Of course, Wicky knows how the business works from his successful playing career and time leading Swiss powerhouse FC Basel. He’s used to the pressure to succeed, and said that’s something coaches can’t be focusing on too much because of all the sleep it would cost them during the season.
“We all know it’s a result-driven business. Of course we want to qualify for the playoffs,” Wicky said. “That’s the objective of every single team in this league and it’s possible for every single team to do this. So it will be very interesting. That’s for sure something we want to achieve. Is it going to be dependent only on that? That’s not something I can give the answer to. But I’m not thinking about that every single day. I’m coming here, happy and proud to be the coach every single day, giving the best version of myself, trying to continue on building our team, our style of play.
“Obviously having more wins, making results for a team, for the club, for the fans, and helping the players to develop individually, integrate the young players even more in the first team,” Wicky added. “So all of those things are things I’m working on and I’m excited about.”
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