The Chicago Fire have blown everything up and are slowly starting again. Centre-back Marcelo, who was signed on Thursday, is the right kind of building block as they look to restructure the whole team.
It was a horrific season for the Chicago Fire. Everything that could go wrong did. And everything that went wrong led to an increasing disconnect between the fans, the organisation, and those that run it. There might not be a more disjointed club in all of Major League Soccer.
As a result, Nelson Rodriguez has decided to blow everything up and start all again. Sadly for many of the fans, the only things Rodriguez didn’t change is himself and the head coach.
Nevertheless, at one point this offseason after all the contractual options were sifted through and the executives began to whittle down the squad, Chicago had only 15 players on their roster. That is quite the explosion.
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However, now, with the new season still two months away, the rebuilding process is beginning to get underway. And Rodriguez has found himself what could well be the ideal cornerstone for his team.
Throughout the many leagues and eras of the sport, the great teams have often been built on brilliant defences, often anchored by one centre-back in particular. Chad Marshall at the Seattle Sounders. Rio Ferdinand at Manchester United. Sergio Ramos at Real Madrid. For all of the obsession over attacking football, silky skills and wonderfully constructed goals, it is often the best defence that wins matches and championships.
Liverpool top the Premier League with only seven goals conceded all year. Atlanta United were brilliant in the MLS Playoffs because they didn’t concede many goals. In fact, they conceded just two goals throughout the whole of the playoffs, both coming in ties that were largely over at the time.
And now the Fire are trying to build their own defensive rank. Rodriguez has highlighted former Sporting CP centre-back Marcelo as the new cornerstone of the backline, signing the Portuguese defender this week for a reported fee of $500,000.
Marcelo is an experienced, accomplished defender who brings a European pedigree to MLS. The fact that he has enjoyed solid and consistent success in the Portuguese first division throughout his career is a strong indication that he possesses the requisite quality, awareness and ability to handle the rigours of MLS. The standard of football is improving in North America, but there is still quite a drop-off from what Europe has to offer. Johnny Russell dominated in his first season in MLS and came from the second-tier in England. Marcelo, therefore, should be fine.
Marcelo is a replacement for Joao Meira. Only he arrives in Chicago a year too late. Centre-back has been a serious position of need for the Fire, conceding 61 goals last season — only six teams in all of MLS conceded more. Marcelo should make a huge difference to that statistic, that much is certain.
And for the Fire, such is the importance of having a commanding centre-back to anchor the defence, improving that statistic will be of huge significance for next season and the future. Marcelo is the right kind of building block for the Chicago Fire. But Rodriguez still has much work to do.