Season preview 2011: Unfamiliar faces

To say that the Chicago Fire has undergone a roster turnover heading into the 2011 MLS season would be to make a strong understatement. Gone from Toyota park is Fire mainstay C.J. Brown, local hero Brian McBride, ticket sellers Nery Castillo and Freddie Ljungberg, the dynamic Wilman Conde, the versatile-but-injured John Thorrington and the untapped potential of Collins John.

Who’s going to replace them? I could tell you the names, but you wouldn’t know them.

For a team that underperformed in 2010, the foreboding 2011 season will be an experiment — and that’s certainly not something Fire supporters are keen on hearing. Goals will come at a premium, and an unfamiliar defensive will take time to settle, if it settles at all. For a club used to winning consistently, it seems nothing will be consistent in 2011.

Not all hope is lost in Bridgeview though, as the Fire did not purge its entire roster, bringing back its leading goalscorer from last season, Marco Pappa, who will again be asked to be the talisman of the attack.

Last season, coach Carlos de los Cobos tinkered with a 4-5-1 formation at the trail end of last season. At the time, it was to help Pappa and winger Patrick Nyarko create more scoring opportunities. Such opportunities were created, but the single-striker system proved incapable of finishing such chances.

The five-wide experiment will continue in 2011, but this time around, de los Cobos will add help up front, shifting the team to a 3-5-2 formation. That’s where the new guys come in.

The Fire three-man backline will be comprised of new players. Thirty-one year old Cory Gibbs, most recently of the New England Revolution, will be the new left back. Croatian import Josip Mikulić will be the all-important centerback in the formation — all important not only in his position, but also because of the company to his right, rookie back Jalil Anibaba. The North Carolina product was the ninth overall selection of the latest edition of MLS SuperDraft and has been receiving rave reviews this preseason. That said, Mikulić might have to be cleaning up the rookie’s messes early in the season.

A three-man backline, no matter how formidable, is always vulnerable to a strong attack, so defensive depth will be a key for the Fire. Gonzalo Segares is expected to play mostly as a wide midfielder in 2011, but as a converted defenseman, he will be able to drop back into a fullback or centerback role, depending on the situation. The versatile Segares’ form, not only at midfield, but as a de-facto defenseman could be on par with the form of the Fire in 2011.

Depth on the backline is strong on the outside, weak in the middle. Segares can always return to defense if needed, but Kwame Watson-Sirobe showed quality minutes last season for the Fire at fullback and would be a more-than-capable step in should Gibbs become injured or Anibaba shows rookie jitters.

Steven Kinney sustained an achilles tendon injury in the final game of 2010 and will not be back until May at the earliest, but if he can regain the form and fitness he exhibited at the trail end of the season, he’ll be a perfect fit as a fullback on a three-man backline, possibly taking a starting spot over by June.

Goals were not easy to come by for the Fire in 2010, as Pappa, an attacking midfielder, paced the team with seven goals. With most of Pappa’s strikes coming from outside the box, the Fire should not expect him to lead the team in goals in 2011. That stated, the Fire’s five-wide midfield did create chances at the end of the season, with Patrick Nyarko leading the charge, despite two bad ankles. Healthy, Nyarko could be poised for a break-out season.

Logan Pause and Baggio Husidic will play as holding midfielders, with Husidic moving forward in opportune situations. With Pappa playing in front of the duo, the Fire are solid in the middle and out wide. On the bench, the Fire maintain that interior strength at midfield, with Mike Banner and Marko Maric capable of providing quality minutes in spells of Pause and Husidic. It would not be surprising to see Maric earn some starts this season as well.

Out wide, the Fire have depth issues. Pappa can be put at a wing, but the top replacement for Nyarko and Segares is Corben Bone. The 22-year-old Wake Forest product only saw 114 minutes in 2010, and without a massive jump in the offseason, he doesn’t look to be a factor player for the Fire in 2011.

The player that is receiving plenty of ink this preseason is central attacking midfielder Daniel Paladini. Let’s provide some more. A former Chivas USA player, Paladini played with the second-division Carolina RailHawks in 2009 and 2010, where he was named to the league’s Best XI twice. In 57 games he notched ten goals for the RailHawks, earning him another shot at the MLS. Paladini could take on a big role for the Fire this season, as the lack of depth out wide might force Pappa to move to a wing, making Paladini the main man in the Fire attack.

The Fire will start from scratch up top, looking to two Uruguayans to be finishers in 2011. Gaston Puerari and Diego Chaves didn’t play together in Uruguay, but they have reportedly shown solid chemistry in preseason. Chaves will likely start the season in a the true striker role and Puerari will play behind in support — how far back in support will be dictated by Chaves’ play. The better he plays, the further back Puerari goes, possibly as far back as Pappa, making the formation a newfangled 3-4-2-1.

The Fire do not have an abundance of reserves at the forward position. In fact, they have one reserve — Calen Carr. That’s not to say that Carr isn’t capable, in fact, 2011 looks to be the year of Carr’s breakout. Carr rejoined the team in August, starting four games and scoring three goals on 13 shots. Carr could be a super sub in 2011, but if he shows a goal-scoring touch early, a starting job will be his.

The last line of defense, the goalkeeper, is the least of Chicago’s worries going into the 2011 season. Sean Johnson played well down the stretch last season and has put himself in consideration for a US National Team spot. A sophomore slump is certainly possible, but Johnson will be the No.1 keeper for the Fire unless an injury or catastrophically poor play arrives.

The experiment that is the 2011 season will be an interesting one to watch, as each and every failure will push de los Cobos closer to unemployment, and each success will push him closer to a coach of the year award. A new, risky formation with new, unproven players is the ultimate roll of the dice, and there is no telling what the payout or loss will be.

Category: Team News