by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Mar 2, 2014

[MLS 2014: Eastern Conference]

Andrew Hauptman

Frank Klopas

Javier Leon

2013 Chicago Fire

Record:

Finish:

Playoffs:

Cuauhtemoc Blanco

Frank Yallop

WHY BE OPTIMISTIC?

Mike Magee

Sean Johnson

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado

Patrick Ianni

Jalil Anibaba

Harry Shipp

Benji Joya

WHY BE PESSIMISTIC?

Juan Luis Anangono

PROJECTED FINISH: 6th-8th place.

PROJECTED LINEUP: 4-1-4-1

Goalkeeper:

NO. PLAYER (AGE)/COUNTRY

25-Sean Johnson



Defenders:



NO. PLAYER (AGE)/COUNTRY



4-*Bakary Soumare

13-*Gonzalo Segares



Midfielders:



NO. PLAYER (AGE)/COUNTRY



20-Jeff Larentowicz

14-Patrick Nyarko

7-Alex

11-Dilly Duka

9-Mike Magee

Forwards:



NO. PLAYER (AGE)/COUNTRY

33-Juan Luis Anangono

First off the bench:

NO. PLAYER (AGE)/COUNTRY



17-*Chris Rolfe

Chicago Fire:

Note:

MARCH SCHEDULE:

March 9:

March 16:

March 23:

March 29:

Chicago Fire:

The Chicago Fire was a team that needed to make a change, and it quickly cleaned house after it was eliminated from the playoffs on the final day of the season with a 5-2 loss at New York.Within 48 hours of its last game, Fire ownerparted ways with head coach, whose days with Chicago soccer go back to Mather High School, and president of soccer operations14-13-76th in Eastern Conf.did not qualify.Klopas and Leon had run the soccer operations for the club since 2008, but the Fire, one of MLS's most successful franchises, had begun to flicker. The Fire won six titles in its first decade -- including a league and cup double in its inaugural season -- but only one title -- the 2006 Open Cup -- in the last decade. Even worse, it failed to make the playoffs three of the last four years and hasn't won a playoff game since 2009 when it made the conference finals for the third year in a row. Since the signing ofin 2007, the Fire's major foreign Designated Player signings have mostly been flops.''It's the body of work,'' Hauptman said after the departures of Klopas and Leon. ''We've had six years of leadership. I didn't take the situation lightly. Frank and Javier put their heart and soul into the club. It was time for a change.'' That change came quickly as two days later Hauptman handed the keys to Fire's soccer operations toIn taking the job, Yallop said he was inheriting a solid nucleus and his job would be to get the most out of his players. That's something he's certainly done in San Jose, where he won MLS Cups in 2001 and 2003 and the Supporters' Shield in 2012 and was twice named the MLS Coach of the Year.The Fire opened up 2-7-2 in 2013, but it went 12-6-5 in MLS play afterarrived from the LA Galaxy in late May. Magee finished with 15 goals in 22 games for the Fire and was named MLS MVP.is one of the top young goalies in MLS, already fourth in the pecking order of national team keepers. The acquisition ofandfrom Seattle foradds depth to the middle of the backline. Youngstersandhad strong preseasons and will push for immediate playing time in midfield as their games fit Yallop's high-intensity approach.The Fire has no player who can dominate a game in midfield, and no one besides Magee who scored more than four goals in 2013. Its lone returning DP, Ecuadoran, managed just two goals in 13 games last season. He'll have to do a lot better than that as the target man. Counting on another 21-goal season out of Magee -- he also scored six with the Galaxy -- is expecting a lot. Magee averaged just 3.6 goals a season in his first 10 years in MLS and is playing "catch-up," Yallop says , after missing much of preseason camp.Without an impact signing, it's hard to see the Fire holding off Philadelphia and Toronto FC, which both finished below it in 2013 but have spent heavily in the offseason. It is putting a lot of faith in Yallop getting a lot more out the Fire's returning players than Klopas did.(24)/USA (5th season)5-Lovel Palmer (29)/Jamaica (Real Salt Lake)34-Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (29)/Colombia (Seattle Sounders)(28)/Mali (2nd season)(31)/Costa Rica (5th season)(30)/USA (2nd season)(28)/Ghana (7th season)(25)/Brazil (3rd season)(24)/USA (2nd season)(29)/USA (2nd season)(24)/Ecuador (2nd season)(31)/USA (3rd season)6-Patrick Ianni (28)/USA (Seattle Sounders)19-Harry Shipp (22)/USA (Notre Dame Univ.)54-Benji Joya (20)/USA (Santos)returning players in bold.*In second stints with club.at Chivas USA, 3 pm ET (UniMas)at Portland, 3 pm ET (UniMas)New York, 3 pm ET (UniMas)at D.C. United, 4 pm ET