“I want to come here to win things:" Joel Waterman on Joining Fire, Canada Call Up

Just over two weeks since his trade from CF Montréal, Chicago Fire fans will finally be able to see Joel Waterman playing in red. That red, however, won’t be that of the Fire, but rather, of the Canadian Men’s National Team, kicking off the first of two friendlies in Europe as the team takes on Romania on Friday.

The call-up comes just under three years after Waterman’s first caps against Bahrain and Japan in November 2022. That window, the Canadian Men’s National Team was preparing for their first World Cup since 1986. Waterman, now 29, made the team’s World Cup roster, but he ultimately did not make an appearance as the country exited the tournament in the group stage.

With Canada already qualified for the 2026 edition as co-hosts, the upcoming friendlies give Waterman his first opportunity to face European competition with the senior national team as he looks to make his case not just to return to the roster, but make his World Cup debut for the team now coached by former Chicago Fire player Jesse Marsch.

MIR97 Media spoke to Joel Waterman about what drove his departure from CF Montréal, his first, and prior to the move, only MLS team, what he hopes to bring to the Fire during their playoff push and the upcoming season, the upcoming international friendlies and more.

On finding out he would move to Chicago

Unique in top-flight football, trades in MLS follow the template used throughout North American sports: Players under most contracts can be traded without their consent and, sometimes, without prior warning, as happened a few years ago when D.C. United prevented the Vancouver Whitecaps from contacting Julian Gressel until the trade between the two teams was complete.

In this case, however, the impetus of the move came from Waterman. “I wanted a fresh start, so it was my decision, along with Montréal’s, to kind of part ways and start fresh from both sides,” Waterman told MIR97 Media. Even if Montréal was looking to make the move happen, Waterman’s destination was up in the air. “Honestly, it kind of changed almost every day. There's ongoing discussions every day, trying to find the right situation that benefited both sides.”

It wasn’t clear that he would be joining Chicago until soon before it happened. “I think I found out definitively, probably about two, three days before the window [closed],” Waterman said, but on learning of his next destination  “it was amazing news. I knew about Chicago coming in. I already had people in Chicago.”

Although Waterman didn’t mention him by name, it’s possible longtime Chicago Fire player Fabian Herbers, now with Montréal, helped sell the new city to the center back. “I had players on my team that played in Chicago and said that the city was amazing, and that the team was great, obviously new facilities.”

And the people Waterman has in Chicago? Amongst them is Chicago Stars and Canadian Women’s National Team midfielder Julia Grosso, the sister of Waterman’s fiancée. “I was waiting until it got over the line to really make sure and let her know,” Waterman said on letting her know that they might soon be moving to Chicago, “but she’s loving the city, she loves it here.” And Grosso’s reaction “She was excited. I think my fiancée was even more excited knowing that she has her sister here, so it worked out in God’s plan.”

Waterman came to “work on my craft” at center back

Still, Waterman was quick to clarify that he’s focused on the pitch. “I don’t want to be mistaken,” he said, I want to come here to win things, and I see the project with the team and how good the team’s been this year and I can just hopefully add to that.”

Part of the allure of coming to Chicago was an opportunity to stay in his preferred position – a shift from this season in Montréal, where, in addition to center back, he’s played as a fullback and across multiple roles in the midfield, saying “I think with the World cup on the horizon, I wanted to stay as a right-sided centerback or left-sided centerback mainly. That is where my strengths lie and I really wanted to get that position down, rather than playing right back, six, center back. So coming here allows me to do that, and is one of the main things why I wanted to move, just so I can play my position and really take ownership, and really work on my craft in that position. So it worked out great on the football that we play,” referring to the Fire, “I love the football that Gregg plays and I’m really excited to play my first game [in Chicago] soon.”

And when he does? “I love being on the ball. I think that’s my main main strength. I love passes between the lines to our forwards. I love creating something from a deep-lying positon, setting the tempo for the game. I love just passing the ball.”

Those are traits that Fire Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has normally prized in his center backs. Getting the rotating cast of players – particularly in Waterman’s preferred spot on the right, next to team captain Jack Elliott  – to fulfill that task, however, has been a challenge for the squad throughout the season, and has cost the team more than once over the campaign. If Waterman can provide that service while remaining consistent defensively, that will be a huge floor-raiser for the Fire going forward.

That, too, is part of what Waterman wants to contribute, saying he “loves defending. I want to keep balls back right now. We’ve been able to score a lot of goals this year, but we’ve also let a lot in. So I’m going to try to help in that department, too. I’m a center back first, so I love defending, I love heading, I love working on all that stuff.”

On working with Jesse Marsch and the World Cup “just around the corner”

The World Cup clearly looms large in the minds of every player in the national team pools of the three co-hosts, including Canada, who many think may have the best shot at advancing the farthest out of the teams in the region – a huge turnaround for a program whose six games, spread across the 1986 and 2022 editions of the tournament, have all ended in defeat.

That’s a testament to how much the game has grown in Canada and how competitive the battle for spots on the roster has become. Still, Waterman likes his chances of making the squad. ”Luckily for me,” he said, I’ve been called in to the last four or five camps since last August, so it’s been an hono[u]r. Every time I get called, I pinch myself, because it’s not always guaranteed, especially the depth of talent we have on the team. I’m always grateful to be called in.”

“It’ll be my first time over in Europe, so it’s going to be a good time preparing over there. We don’t have any competitions left, so it’s just friendlies, but I want to make sure we play good teams before the World Cup, because it’s just around the corner.”

Waterman says he has a good relationship with CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch, who had 200 appearances as a midfielder with the Fire during the span in which the club was frequently winning trophies. “He was an awesome advocate for me, and I let him know that the move was happening, and when it actually happened, he knew, because you always want to let him know that I’m changing scenery, and one, if that was an ok thing to do. And he said, as long as I’m getting game time, he’s OK where I go and he supports me fully wherever I go, and I think I’ll be in a better system now where I could really flourish and kind of start fresh.”