Berhalter, Fire searching for answers to midfield crisis

The Chicago Fire finally got a win on the board this weekend, recording their first victory of the Gregg Berhalter era. However, it came at a cost; a first half injury to Kellyn Acosta leaves the team with just two fully fit midfielders.

The crisis is so bad that when Head Coach Gregg Berhalter was asked on Saturday about his concern level, he said it was at a “nine and a half out of ten.” That number may or may not have eased up in the past 48 hours, but needless to say, the positional depth has undoubtedly reached the point of being a crisis.

"Our list of injuries goes on and on," Berhalter said. "The state of the squad is that we're thin. We only had 19 on the bench (against Dallas). It is what it is right now."

Health Report

After Acosta's injury, only two first team midfielders are at 100% fitness: Brian Gutiérrez and Sergio Oregel. Gutiérrez is playing a new role this season, dropping much deeper than in years past as a box-to-box midfielder, but has been electric in his first two appearances. Oregel has also been solid to start the season; he made his first meaningful MLS appearance with a start on opening day against the Columbus Crew, and has started every game this year. While he's shown clear growth across the three matches as he gets used to the MLS level, the thin midfield has heaped tremendous pressure on him as he's been effectively left without a backup.

"We would like to see Sergio have a little bit more control of the game offensively," Berhalter said of Oregel's first starts this season. "We know he has it in him. He's a young player but we think he can help dictate the game for us... we want to see him continue to build."

Next up is Mauricio Pineda, a versatile player who has predominantly been a central back in years past, but can also play in midfield. He has featured in all three games this season but has struggled to go more than 45 to 60 minutes; he's physically healthy, but not yet up to full fitness and match sharpness.

The only other central midfielder on the first team roster is new signing Rominigue Kouamé, who has been out since picking up an injury in the leadup to opening day. He was back out on the training pitch today but did not take part in any team drills and instead worked individually with the ball at his feet on the side. Another possible midfield option – new homegrown signing Dylan Borso – also surprisingly returned to the practice field today just two months after a foot surgery that has been thought would keep him out for four; he was a full participant in team activities, albeit training as a winger.

Searching Within

With Pineda not at 100%, Kouamé almost certainly not returning to play for at least a week or two, and Borso's status unclear, the Fire will need to bring, at minimum, one or two midfielders from outside the first team along for Saturday's trip to Toronto.

Luckily, the second team has plenty of midfield options. Unluckily, the best one of the bunch, Sam Williams, is ineligible to play for the rest of the season without signing a first team contract, as he has already appeared in the maximum two regular season games. El Salvador international Harold Osorio – who was an unused substitute in Dallas and was sent off for Fire II on Sunday – only has one MLS appearance remaining this year. The only way these two could appear in more games would be if the club applied for an "extreme hardship" exemption with the league, but even that seems unlikely given that the team is still – at a minimum – one or two more injuries away from the designated threshold of 16 available field players.

With Williams likely out of the picture and Osorio on the brink of being so, one more second team player is likely about to get an opportunity. It could be 18-year-old Colombian Juan Miguel Calle, who was a full participant in first team training today in one of his first-ever times with the group. It could also be academy product Trip Fleming, who recently re-joined the organization by signing an MLS Next Pro contract after two seasons at the University of Wisconsin.

"Watching the games, Acosta's out now, you see these things happening and you feel for the guys," Fleming said Sunday after scoring a goal in his first game back with Fire II. "Of course, you look for opportunities like that. Being able to play a lot of positions and midfield being one of them, that's where I hope to maybe get an opportunity. It's not up to me, but I'll take every opportunity that I get and see where I can go from there."

Finally, there are the real "break glass in case of emergency" options, though it's unlikely Berhalter will ever need to dig this deep. U.S. U-17 international Chase Nagle has made a lot of progress in the last 12 months and started as a #8 on Sunday, while 18-year-old Peter Soudan appeared off the bench. Fire II captain Diego Konincks has been called up to the first team before as a center back, but played as a holding midfielder in a friendly last week against Forward Madison and trained there during last week; he also stepped into the midfield in the final minutes of Sunday's game. However, imagining any of these three being relied upon for the first team outside of an Open Cup setting is difficult.

Options on the Market

Given this well-documented midfield depth problem brought further to the forefront by Acosta's injury, which could take him out for several weeks or even months, Berhalter is hoping to add at least one more player on the transfer market. The roster was already constructed with a precariously thin midfield, and it's being stretched to its absolute limit at the moment.

"We're looking to add a midfielder but it's not going to be by next week, I don't think," Berhalter said. "We'll have to see what happens. Potentially, it could be someone from the league that we can get, but our focus has been elsewhere right now, and we'll just have to see how the whole thing plays out."

"We may have to activate Sam or Harold or something. We'll figure it out, but it's not so clear right now.”

The more weeks that pass, the fewer midfielders become easily available. There is still plenty of time – the MLS transfer window is open until April 23rd – but the need for a reinforcement has become more pressing by the day. The most high-profile midfielders available – free agent Sean Davis (formerly of Nashville SC and the L.A. Galaxy) and trade-listed Julian Gressel (of Inter Miami) – are both likely too expensive to bring in given the Fire's current cap situation.

Thus, there are a handful of other options floating around. Minnesota United's Hassani Dotson is perhaps the most obvious option; the former U.S. youth international publicly requested a trade ahead of the season and is only earning a salary of $500,000 (per the MLSPA), meaning he would be an excellent addition at a reasonable price. He would likely need a new contract and a raise, but it would be worth it, given his proven quality and MLS experience.

"I’m just trying to take it each day at a time, just trying to control what I control on the football aspect," Dotson told local reporters Tuesday. "I love playing soccer, so I don’t want to let any day go in taking that for granted."

MLS free agents include one-time Gregg Berhalter USMNT camp invitee Russell Canouse, former Sporting Kansas City regular Rémi Walter, and former Nashville SC midfielder Dru Yearwood.

The Starters for this Weekend

Barring a surprise, the midfield this weekend will comprise Brian Gutiérrez, Sergio Oregel, and Mauricio Pineda. The all-homegrown, all-Mexican-American trio will be a unique look, with Pineda likely doing the bulk of the defensive work and Gutiérrez helping out extensively on both sides of the ball. Harold Osorio would most likely be the first man off the bench, with Trip Fleming potentially also making the trip. If Rominigue Kouamé is somehow fit enough to make the bench, that might negate the need for Fleming, but that seems unlikely as he has not yet participated in full team training.

With just two fully fit midfielders carrying a heavy workload, the position is undoubtedly in a moment of crisis – but Berhalter has an opportunity to use the first major challenge of his Chicago stint to make the team stronger and position themselves better for a run later this season.

"The guys have been doing a really good job of dealing with adversity and dealing with the injuries," Berhalter said. "Everyone is playing their part, and we need that right now."

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