On a cold Sunday night in October 2015 the Chicago Fire was down 2–0 against the New York Red Bulls. On the 77th minute Brazilian striker Gilberto scored but that wasn’t enough to save the team from misery. The final whistle was eventually blown and it marked the end of the Fire’s worse season to date.

The Men in Red had suffered 20 losses, zero away wins and were at the bottom of the table.

The collapse of the Fire was a long and slow process. When it finally did happen fans were distraught and angry.

Scott Greene of the Section 8 supporters group said that his politically correct answer to the downfall was just lack of “forward thinking.”

Jose Luis Sanchez Pando of Vivehoy simply described the downfall as “It was just the worst.”

The start of the 2013 season things were looking bright for the Men in Red. They acquired Chicago native Mike Magee to head the attacking force for the club. Among other signings were players with European club experience such as Arevalo Rios and Juan Luis Anagono made it seem like the Fire was on the rise again — or at least trying to be relevant again.

Despite an average first half of the season the troubles within the club weren’t fully exposed until the 2–0 loss to D.C United in the semifinals for the Lamar U.S Open Cup. During the course of the game fans were disappointed. While a majority of them were still cool and collected, a select few took out their anger by hurling vocal insults at the players and staff. The Fire’s Director of Communications, Dan Lobring, penned up an open letter to all Chicago Fire fans in response to those barbs.

It was called “What it means to be part of the Fire Family”, and it was seen as a direct insult to the fans. Due to that one minor incident involving a small vocal group, Dan Lobring condemned the whole Fire fan base. SBNATION described the letter as the club spiting on the faces of the fans.

“When things go wrong, their instinct is to blame the fans” said James Bridget Gordon of Paste Magazine.

There was now a larger discontent between the club and the fans. Management didn’t seem to fully grasp that the way they were handling the club not only affected the fans but the players. If management didn't know what they were doing then the players didn't know what they were doing.

“The problem with the Fire is that they don’t have goals,” said Pando. “If they don’t have goals they can’t win any games.”

Gordon compared the situation of the Fire to English club Newcastle United citing that both clubs have owners and players that have no clue what they were doing.

image credit: Chicago Fire

Despite all the upheavals between the 2013 and 2014 season, many fans hoped the 2015 season would bring in some positivity. Chicago signed European veterans Shaun Maloney and Guly do Prado hoping they would light up the Fire again.

Discontent was still lingering around the pitch and the Fire was greeted with 3 straight loses. Fans were livid.

“I can’t take it anymore,” said lifelong fan Ryan Chan. “These suits and half of the clowns on the pitch don’t care anymore.”

Attendance dropped to low and the European veterans that Chicago signed to reignite the spark within the club flopped. Shaun and Guly ended up leaving the club before the season even ended.

Towards the end of the season the Fire began to make changes with their management. Head Coach Frank Yallop was sacked and former MLS executive Nelson Rodriguez was named as the new General Manager.

“In my opinion, these changes were too late,” said Chan, “Frank should have been shown the door months ago.”

image credit: NBC Sports

At the end of the 2015 season, more changes were made within the club. Serbia’s U-20 manager Veljko Paunvic was appointed as the new coach. Hope was in the air as he led a youthful Serbian squad to defeat Brazil in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Management was hoping for Veljko to carry on his experience with the Fire.

Talking with the Chicago Tribune last December, Veljko said he wants to lead Chicago back to its former glory, but it’s going to take time.

While the club was showing some renewed progress with management, they made some questionable decisions during the transfer period. The most prominent being the trade of homegrown player Harry Shipp to Montreal.

“The process is not yet done, but this is only the beginning” Pando said.

On March 6th the Fire opened their 2016 season against New York City F.C. Toyota Park was roaring with life and optimism. Section 8 was chanting their hearts out and Sector Latino was making their barra presence known.

NYCFC ended up beating the Fire 4–3.

At the end of the game optimism remained in the air but the sense of apathy was still strong with many.

“We don’t need to win the league or anything, I just want to see them care and try” Chan said.

Gordon echoed that statement.

“I just want them to give a crap.”