Fire II part ways with Ludovic Taillandier
The Chicago Fire announced this morning that it has parted ways with second team head coach Ludovic Taillandier. The French head coach had led Chicago Fire II for the club’s first three seasons in MLS Next Pro.
“As we begin to focus on next season and our long-term objectives, we felt it was the right time to make a change in leadership,” said Fire II General Manager Alex Boler. “He is a true professional and I wish him nothing but the best for the future.”
Taillandier's departure is the latest of a number of leadership changes made within the organization since Gregg Berhalter's appointment as director of football last month, but it still comes as something of a surprise. Fire II have made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, and reached the Eastern Conference semifinal this year, narrowly losing to the Columbus Crew.
Across his three seasons with Fire II, Taillandier recorded a 28-27-25-12 record, including a host of penalty shootouts under MLS Next Pro's unusual format. During his tenure, Fire II added a host of Francophone players, including Christian Koffi, Jean Alpha Diouf, and David Tchétchao, all of whom were made to feel comfortable in a new country. Taillandier also showed that he was not afraid to integrate young academy players, with the likes of Patrick Los, Christopher Cupps, and Vitaliy Hlyut among those playing prominent roles at different points of the season.
Taillandier also turned down the opportunity to join an MLS first team staff last year when he declined an offer to be a part of Laurent Courtois' coaching staff at CF Montréal. He told reporters at the end of this season that he felt there was still a process to complete in Chicago, and cited how the team has grown since he took over in 2022.
"I love patterns," Taillandier said. "In 2022, we were 8th in the conference. In 2023 we were 6th. In 2024, we are 4th. That means next year will be 2nd."
"The most important is the way that we play and the talent we get on the field. I definitely believe, year after year, there is something growing in terms of how many young players we can get from the academy and how much playing time we can get these young foreigners, with high-level profiles for the future of the club."
Fire II will now search for a new head coach during the offseason. There is also expected to be plenty of turnover in the team's roster this winter.
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