New Fire owner Joe Mansueto is focusing on making the gameday experience at Soldier Field as strong as possible, emulating the experience in Atlanta and Seattle.
Finding a soccer-specific stadium is not the focus.
“The focus is Soldier Field,” Mansueto said during an interview with the Sun-Times. “The focus is not (to) start looking for another stadium. One at a time.”
A primary reason for the move is increased exposure. Mansueto said he has high hopes for the new home.
“To me, the ideal situation is we’ve got 62,000 fans in Soldier Field and it’s a great experience and I’d rather have more people exposed to the team than fewer,” Mansueto said.
Another way to increase exposure is putting more matches on traditional television, as Mansueto knows from growing up in Munster, Indiana, and watching the Cubs on WGN.
Since 2018, the Fire’s local broadcasts have been exclusively on ESPN+, a digital subscription service. That deal runs out after the 2020 season, and Mansueto expects to see a lot of media outlets bidding for Fire games when the ESPN+ pact lapses.
“It’s how you get hooked on a team, that broad exposure and I think the Fire have a great product,” Mansueto said. “Just more people need to see it. You start watching this team, it’s infectious. It’s a wonderful sporting experience. More people need to see it.
“A great way to see it is on free broadcast or cable.”
While praising the team-produced ESPN+ broadcasts, Mansueto is ready to make it easier for more people to watch. When asked if it was possible to tweak the current deal and potentially allow traditional broadcasts, Mansueto didn’t know but has asked the team to find out.
The plan is to play out the deal and then look at alternatives.
“I’d love to see it more widely available, see it in bars,” Mansueto said. “See people who maybe can’t get to the stadium but expose them to the product and make them big Fire fans.”
Mansueto has other decisions to make.
Though he waited on disclosing what the team will be called, Mansueto said he loves the Fire name and what it represents. As for the futures of general manager Nelson Rodriguez and coach Veljko Paunovic, Mansueto said he’s focused on finishing the season strong, and would take stock in the offseason. He also said “I believe in both of these guys.”
