Last year's results: 4th in the East and 7th overall with 40 points. Lost to New England 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Championship game after getting by favorite DC United in the first round. Head-to-Head - In the first game RSL tied them 0-0 in Chicago. The Fire took the second game 2-0 in Salt Lake City.
Notable loses after 2007: Chris Armas (retired), Jeff Curtin (waived), Jim Curtin (trade w/Chivas), Ivan Guerrero (expansion draft), Matt Pickens (Queens Park Rangers - England), Paulo Wanchope (retired), Juan Carlos Osario (Coach - left Chicago for New York)
Notable new additions for 2008: Tomasz Frankowski (free agent), Andy Herron (trade w/Columbus), Patrick Nyarko (SuperDraft)
2008: It would seem that Chicago lost much more after 2007 than they've gained for 2008. If I had to predict a season outcome for the team I guess that they are in for another season of mid-table results. One comforting fact for the Chicago Fire faithful is that they finished much stronger than they started; finishing with 24 points (6w, 6t, 4l) in the last 16 games compared to 16 points (4w, 4t, 8l) in the first half of the season.
Coaching: In an occasion which will prove rare as the season moves on, Jason Kreis has more head coaching experiencing than Fire coach Denis Hamlett. While it should be noted that Hamlett was the Fire's interim coach for a short while after the firing of Sarachan and that he also now has 10 years of experience as an assistant, this is his first full time head coaching gig which makes it hard to know what to expect from the Fire this year.
(Despite his Godlike status in Mexico, nobody loves Cuauhtémoc Blanco more than Cuauhtémoc Blanco)Players: Well there is Blanco, but he is old and watching him last year he seems to disappear quite often until a free kick comes along. There are some competent players filling roles around the field with C.J. Brown and Justin Mapp, but this team is anything but intimidating. Getting Herron back in Chicago in a trade with Crew is an attempt at helping the forward position...as is off season acquisition of Pollock Tomasz Frankowski. Defender Wilman Conde is a stud back, but has been surrounded with controversy since he made it clear he wanted to leave the team and go to New York with ex-coach Osario. Other notable players are Chris Rolfe, Brian Blotkin (only because of a wicked goal he scored against RSL in 2006), and rookie Patrick Nyarko.
Predication: Even without the Mexican God Blanco Real Salt Lake usually manages to pull pretty impressive crowds for opening day...with Blanco Rice-Eccles Stadium is going to be electric. I believe play is going to be sloppy on both sides of the field for the first half while guys try and figure things out during their first real competition of the year. Second half RSL will step up a little as the conditioning factor kicks in and our home-field altitude advantage plays its role. The Fire will get very little offensive production because...well they have nobody really up top. They will probably get a goal on the night though as Blanco will score on a free kick somewhere. Other than that his only contributions to the games will be the occasional hard elbow and trash talk. Real will have a very impressive defensive showing, but we will probably see about 4 or 5 cards go to our guys...no big deal as long as they are all yellow. Yura and Beckerman will both score. If neither goal is celebrated by mocking the Blanco Aztec point I will be very disappointed. Real Salt Lake 2 - Chicago Fire 1.
The great thing about predictions is if they come to light...I look like a genius. If not...well nobody expected them to anyway!
