Two matches into the season and things were looking good for
the Fire as the side took four points from matches away at Dallas against
Kansas City. Things looked even better after the side took down the Colorado
Rapids 2-1 in U.S. Open Cup qualifying to end the month of the March.
With April though came three difficult games and three
losses to match, leaving the Fire sitting bottom of the Eastern Conference
after five matches.
Despite three straight losses, the team did get two of the
most difficult away matches done with early, though I’m sure Carlos de los
Cobos would have preferred not to have had to play Portland in their stadium
opening. There’s also the fact that save that match in the Rose City, the team
didn’t get blown out in either loss and in both cases mere inches from at least
securing a point.
It’s refreshing when you consider that last year many
chances that were created came from a Patrick Nyarko run to the end line or a
Marco Pappa touch of brilliance – recognizing that those things are still
happening, the Fire are also seeing creation from the partnership between
Gaston Puerari and Diego Chaves this year.
But what if there was more creation from the center of
midfield?
We saw some of that earlier in the season when Pappa was
allowed to roam inside behind the Uruguayan attacking duo but with de los Cobos
utilizing Logan Pause and Michael Videira centrally in a 4-4-2 to start matches
of late, creation out of the middle of the park has left a bit to be desired by
his own admission.
“I think Logan and Mike are working well,” said the Fire
head coach Wednesday. “I think one part we need to work on is creating more
from midfield. Defensively they’re working well – they’re strong, they play
good together, but maybe we need to work on the attacking part to create more
options up front. I need to give those two guys confidence to move forward.”
The sight of Videira in the starting lineup when the Fire
earned a point at Dallas to start the season surprised some. Many figured
Baggio Husidic would be the natural incumbent patrolling the center of the park
next to Pause, especially coming off a sophomore season where the Bosnian-born
midfielder tallied five goals and three assists. It’s been the reverse however
as Husidic hasn’t seen action since coming on as a 63rd minute sub
for Videira in that same match on March 19.
One thing is clear, de los Cobos has thought about adding a
bit more attacking spice to the Fire midfield moving forward.
“It’s a good question I need to think about. We have guys
like Baggio, [Daniel] Paladini and Corben Bone who play very good football. We
have two or three guys that have more attacking characteristics and maybe they
can share the offensive and defensive function going forward.”
One thing that has been decided is that Jon Conway’s debut
in goal in Sunday’s loss wasn’t a cameo. The veteran keeper made his Fire debut
after incumbent starter Sean Johnson had shaky moments through the first few
matches and according to de los Cobos, Conway will man the nets Saturday
against Houston.
“The situation with Sean is
normal. We need to understand he’s a young player. He has great potential,
everybody likes the qualities he has, this is normal for goalkeepers. I thought
this situation was possible because he is young. It’s good to have a guy like
Jon Conway who is a good player and positive influence. Sean will learn from
this but for now Jon will stay in goal.”
Regarding any and all changes to
the lineup, the second-year Fire manager reiterated what he tells the players
at the beginning of every training session.
“I always tell the guys
that everyone is important to the team. Everybody needs to stay alert, work
hard and be ready to play. If it’s necessary to use one of these guys I’ll do
it.”
Jeff Crandall
is the Team Writer for the Chicago Fire. Follow him on Twitter @JefeCrandall.
