Fire: Team makes the right decision with new manager

The Chicago Fire hired Raphael Wicky as the club’s new manager. It was a solid move and a step in the right direction.

It’s been a rough time for Chicago Fire fans.

Really, not many Chicago sports fans have had a fun 2019 with the exception of the Chicago White Sox.

The Fire have failed to make the playoffs the last two seasons and haven’t won a playoff game since 2009.

Largely thanks to the futility of the club in the past decade, the Fire have been undergoing a significant amount of change in the past year.

After relocating to suburban Bridgeview in 2005, they’ll return to their roots in 2020 and play all home matches at Soldier Field. The Fire called Soldier Field home from their inception in 1998 to 2005, when they moved to then-Toyota Park in Bridgeview.

In addition to their relocation, the club is now under new ownership with Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto taking over control of the club. The 63-year-old billionaire acquired controlling stake in the club from Andrew Hauptman, the owner of the Fire since 2007.

Perhaps the most notable change will be the recently announced new branding and logo for the team.

No longer will the Fire don the iconic firefighter’s shield, but instead the team will be decked out in red, blue and gold uniforms complete with a brand new logo.

Though there hasn’t been much to look forward to for supporters, the club took a huge step in the right direction in hiring former professional midfielder Raphael Wicky.

It’s an exciting hire for the Fire, as Wicky brings a lot of much-needed strengths to the club.

Wicky spent his much of his senior playing career at the highest level in Germany and Switzerland before ending his career with a brief stint for the now-defunct Chivas USA.

After retiring as a player, Wicky coached for numerous youth clubs in Switzerland before taking over for Swiss club FC Basel in 2017. He then led the United States U-17 Men’s National Team to an appearance in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Wicky’s experience in developing players will be a solid asset to the Fire, who will be losing veteran experience with the retirement of legendary midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.

The Fire will need to turn to youth development more than ever, and the hiring of Wicky will help in that area.

Wicky has had success at the European level as well, having led FC Basel to an appearance in the Round of 16 in the 2017-2018 UEFA Champions League. It’s the furthest a Swiss club has advanced in the UCL in history to this day.

All of those strengths will be vital to the future success of the Fire, who have long struggled to get out of the basement of MLS. Perhaps the return to the city and arrival of a new, young coach can help restore the club to MLS prominence.