Chicago Fire II

Boler joined Chicago Fire FC in 2010 starting in the Academy and then spending the last 10 years with the First Team in the Football Operations department. During that span, he was overseeing the day-to-day operations and was the first point of contact for first team players and coaches. He worked closely with Sporting Leadership developing operational strategies, tactics and benchmarks which saw the highest player transfers in Club history. Additionally, Boler was responsible for leading the Club’s compliance efforts for the League’s training and matchday guidelines. Prior to joining Chicago Fire FC, Boler played collegiately at Indiana University-Bloomington where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Sports Marketing & Management with a Business Minor.

Taillandier is a UEFA A and UEFA A Youth Elite licensed coach who comes to the Fire with 18 years of experience as a head coach. Born outside Paris, France, Taillandier joined the Fire following time spent as the Technical Director at the French Soccer Institute of California (2013-19). While there, Taillandier additionally served as the Technical Director of the Football Club of Los Angeles and coached their Under-10 and Under-12 teams, while also acting as head coach of the Total Futbol Academy’s U-11, U-13, and U-18 teams. Prior to that, Taillandier was the Academy Director at French Ligue 1 side Amiens SC (2010-13), while also coaching their U-19 and U-17 teams. As a player, Taillandier played professionally at Paris Saint-Germain with their U-16, U-18 and Pro 2 sides, as well as with Tours FC. He additionally represented France on the youth level with the U-16/U-17 teams.

Nyarko returns to the Club after an illustrious playing career. Patrick was drafted as the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Fire in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. He made 196 appearances (148 starts) for the Club between 2008-15, scoring 19 goals and dishing out 39 assists. After spending eight seasons with the Fire, Nyarko spent two seasons at D.C. United where he played 40 games (35 starts).

At the international level Nyarko was called up to the Ghana National Team to face Chile. Nyarko made his Ghana debut against Chile on February 29, 2012 at the PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. 

Nyarko currently holds a USSF National B Coaching License & a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Virginia Tech.

A Macedonian international, Dimov’s playing career included appearances in the UEFA Europa League with FK FCU 55 of Macedonia in 2001-03. Since then, his influence as a goalkeeping coach has been wide-spread among the Chicagoland area. Dimov has held as many as five coaching roles at a time since 2008, with Chicago Fire North Juniors, Chicago Fire City Juniors, Chicago Fire West Juniors, Inferno Soccer Club, and Chicago Magic Academy having all employed his services in that time. Dimov has worked with every level from U-8 to U-18 and has a UEFA B-soccer coaching license.

Kladis joined the Fire in 2015 as a part of the match and event operations staff assisting with game day logistics and team operations. In 2019, Kladis worked for the Toronto Blue Jays as a minor league home clubhouse manager for their Single-A team, where he oversaw clubhouse and equipment operations for the team. In October 2021, he returned to the Fire to assist with academy equipment and sporting operations. Kladis received his Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from Loyola University Chicago.

Steinmetz joins the Fire after most recently serving as Director of High Performance for Saint Louis FC’s 1st Team and Academy, a club he joined in 2016. During that time Steinmetz created the club’s first High Performance department, overseeing the areas of Medical, Strength & Conditioning, Sport Science, Sport Psychology, Dietetics, and Social Welfare. In his 5 years with STLFC he was part of the US Open Cup Quarter Finalist Team in 2019, 2 playoff qualification teams and 1 Conference Semi-Finalist USL Championship team in 2018 and 2020, and the U19 US Developmental Academy 3rd place team in 2019. 

Prior to STLFC, Steinmetz’s 23-year career includes five years as a Strength & Conditioning Coach for The University of Tennessee, two years as Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for Sullivan High School, several Performance Director roles with wellness facilities and athletic clubs, High Performance consulting with collegiate programs and federal agencies, and 20 years as a Soccer Coach. He has been a multi-disciplinary team member of 3 Division I National Championship teams, numerous SEC Conference and Regular Season Championship Teams, and worked with many Olympians. His diverse background has provided opportunities to work with athletes of all ages and levels while cultivating a comprehensive understanding of holistic development. Steinmetz has a M.S. in Sport Psychology, B.S.Ed in Exercise Science, B.S.Ed in K-12 Physical Education and Health, is a C.S.C.S. through the NSCA, and has his USSF C License.

Isaac joined the Fire in 2016 after a stint as an equipment manager for the U.S. Soccer Federation. Prior to that, he served as Operations Manager at the Sparta Dome in Crown Point, Indiana, where he was the Director of Youth Soccer Leagues and oversaw both scheduling and league expansion. Isaac additionally held match & player operations roles as an intern with the Seattle Reign of the NWSL and as Game Operations Assistant at Valparaiso University where he received his Master's in Sports Administration. Further he has event experience with the Chicago Red Stars, U.S. Women’s National Team, and Copa America Centenario. Isaac played collegiately for one season at Hope College, before playing three seasons at FC Indiana of the NPSL in Lafayette, IN.

Rachael completed her MSW at University of Chicago in 2019 and is a licensed psychotherapist who is focused on helping young footballers navigate their development pathway. She has previously managed a post-quake housing development in Haiti, started a business in Oman, and assisted in the establishment of a secondary campus for a leading youth soccer academy in Ghana. She is currently focused on creating opportunities for players to access mental health and socio-emotional development supports in the world of youth soccer.