Season Preview

MIR97's 2025 Chicago Fire Season Preview

Alex Calabrese

21 Feb 2025 — 7 min read

MLS: CF Montreal at Chicago Fire FC

MLS is Back – and so are the Chicago Fire. After a long offseason defined by fresh faces, exciting moves, and building excitement, the Men in Red will kick off their 28th MLS campaign this Saturday against the Columbus Crew, marking the beginning of the reign of new Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter.

Clean Slate

Admittedly, the Fire’s 2024 campaign isn’t one that will live long in the memory. The club’s higher-ups made the surprising decision to retain both Sporting Director Georg Heitz and Head Coach Frank Klopas, two decisions that prevented the team from reaching its goals. Despite some promising moves in the transfer market, like adding U.S. international Kellyn Acosta and club-record signing Hugo Cuypers, the Fire underperformed dramatically and finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong over the course of the season. The back line leaked goals at a consistent rate, Xherdan Shaqiri provided little production and left the team halfway through the season, while key players were left without defined roles for large portions of the year. All things considered, little progress was made in 2024, so it’s fortunate for the club was able to wipe the slate clean this offseason and start anew with a whole new look.

Change at the Top

Although the Fire have reloaded half of the roster, the most big-name arrival is still that of the head coach, former USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter. In a move pretty rare in MLS these days, Berhalter was not just named head coach, but also as the team’s chief soccer executive – in this case, with the title of Director of Football.

The Fire job is Berhalter’s first gig since his ceremonious USMNT firing over the summer after a humiliating Copa América group stage exit. The 51-year-old head coach will be out with a point to prove in his first team back in MLS since leaving the Columbus Crew in 2018, and will be looking to set the league alight to silence the many doubters who lingered during his national team tenure.

Berhalter spoke to the media at Chicago's Waldorf Astoria hotel. — (Barbara Calabrese/MIR97 Media)

To help manage the heavy load of his dual role, Berhalter brought in several assistants in the front office. Gregg Broughton was named sporting director having previous been at Blackburn Rovers, while Mikey Stephens was brought on as head of recruitment. Filipe Celikkaya, Tom Heinemann, and Hector Jiménez were named assistant coaches, blending a mix of domestic and international experience, with Zach Thornton remaining a part of the staff as goalkeeper coach. Frank Klopas stuck around as vice president of football while Eddie Rock was moved to a role as head of strategy.

A Baker’s Dozen

Saying that this offseason has seen a rebuild is something of an understatement. Berhalter has brought in an astonishing 13 players already, including six likely starters, marking a tremendous turnover of the squad. That long list of signings ranges from seven-figure Europeans to homegrowns signings, some of whom won’t make a first team impact for quite a while.

Chief among the additions is Jonathan Bamba, a French-Ivorian winger who is perhaps best known for his contribution to LOSC Lille’s historic Ligue 1 triumph in 2021. The exciting, dynamic attacker joins the Fire in his prime and immediately becomes one of the most high profile players in MLS upon his arrival. There will be high-expectations for Bamba, but the early indications are that he’ll hit the ground running in Chicago, and he’s in good form coming off of a recent goal against Real Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu last month.

Defensive reinforcements have also arrived, specifically replacing the outgoing center back Rafa Czichos. Jack Elliott is the biggest name that was signed to bolster the back line, as he has consistently been one of MLS’ top center backs over his last seven seasons with the Philadelphia Union. One-time U.S. international Sam Rogers was also brought in to provide competition at the position, with 2014 World Cup veteran Omar González added for last-resort depth.

The other potential starters signed this offseason are set to strengthen some weaker positions on the roster; Philip Zinckernagel will provide competition to Maren Haile-Selassie on the right wing, Rominigue Kouamé replaces Gastón Giménez and Fede Navarro in midfield, while Leonardo Barroso is a younger and more exciting upgrade on Arnaud Souquet at right back.

Several players were also promoted from within – David Poreba, Omari Glasgow, and Dylan Borso were all signed from the second team last year, while the organization’s top two prospects, Robert Turdean and Christopher Cupps, were signed to first team deals. Cupps in particular was the talk of the preseason camp in Florida and earned his homegrown deal over the course the winter with his play on the field and in training.

Berhalter Ball

Under Gregg Berhalter, the Fire are expected to play a much more cohesive and detail-oriented style of play. The new head coach has spoken of his desire to build a clear playing identity for the Fire – something that has been lacking in recent seasons under the leadership of Heitz and his rotating door of head coaches.

In his previous job with the USMNT, Berhalter depended heavily on a 4-3-3 system; though it evolved greatly over the course of his five-year tenure, by the World Cup in 2022, it was a transition-heavy approach that ultimately succeeded in helping the U.S. compete at that level. Nonetheless, while the system’s midfield dominance is something he might want to replicate in Chicago, early indications are that the 51-year-old is hoping to assert a more possession-based approach by dropping star #10 Brian Gutiérrez deeper into the midfield.

Can Brian Gutiérrez have a breakout 2025 season and become a focal point of the team's offense? — (photo courtesy of Chicago Fire FC)

The arrival of Elliott at center back also suggests this; the Englishman is a ball-playing defender, and while his partner Carlos Terán is a much more orthodox center back, indications are that the Fire will look to build from the back this season. Berhalter’s choices in midfield also suggest this, with a potential trio of Kellyn Acosta, Brian Gutiérrez, and Sergio Oregel one filled with passing players extremely comfortable with the ball at their feet.

Years and Years of Hurt

Incredibly, it has now been eight seasons since the Fire last reached the MLS postseason. Even then, after that historic 2017 season, Veljko Paunović’s Men in Red were crushed 4-0 in the first round by the underdog New York Red Bulls. The Fire’s last playoff win was all the way back in 2009, and their last MLS Cup appearance was in 2003.

Thus, no matter what Berhalter’s expectations are for 2025, the absolute bare minimum for this season has to be to return to the postseason, no questions asked. Even just squeaking into a wildcard position in the expanded 18-team playoff format would be progress for a hapless team that has hovered around MLS’ cellar for the last decade-plus.

However, it won’t be simple. Rome wasn’t built in a single day, and expecting the Fire to immediately be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference is simply an unrealistic ask. What’s much more important is that the Fire can prevent long, tiring winless runs of seven more games, something that have been a staple over the last few seasons. For each of the last three seasons, the Fire actually performed at par for the majority of the year, barring an annual stretch of several matches where they couldn’t buy a win – and often couldn’t buy a goal.

Back in the Cup

While the Fire aren’t going to be an MLS Cup contender overnight, there is one competition they will hope to make a run in with a shot at silverware. That’s the U.S. Open Cup, which will see the Fire first team participate after U.S. Soccer blocked them from doing so last season.

This year’s edition is particularly meaningful for the Fire, who are still looking to become the first MLS club to win the tournament five times. Sporting Kansas City and the Seattle Sounders – the other two teams sitting on four titles – are both not participating in 2025, meaning the Fire will be uncontested in the race to five this season.

Given the historic importance of the Open Cup to the Fire organization, it is likely that the club will make an intentional effort to go far in the competition. Many teams have tended to field weakened sides, particularly in the early rounds, but expect the Fire to make the Cup a priority in 2025.

Point to Prove

Off the field, it has seemed for the last two years like things were slowly turning in the right direction in Chicago. From a philanthropic owner willing to spent the big bucks on players and facilities to steadily increasing match attendance week after week, there has been a ton of goodwill surrounding the club, but that is yet to translate into any sort of results on the field.

With an experienced, reputable manager like Berhalter at the wheel, a household name like Bamba on the wing, rising local talent like Gutiérrez, Brady, Cupps, and Oregel in the squad, and red back on the uniforms, now seems like as good a time as ever for the ship to be steered back on course in MLS play. Now, it’s up to Berhalter to guide the Men in Red back to the promised land.