Chicago Fire Midweek Training: 3 takeaways from Week 5
2. It could be a mirage
Complete lack of depth aside for the moment, the Chicago Fire’s defense looks really good right now. Bringing the depth problem back in, it’s very unsustainable. Last week, I talked about a possible switch to a 3-5-2. But with an announcement that both Raheem Edwards and Jorge Corrales are going to be out with injuries, the options at the left wing-back position have become extremely limited.
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One good revelation from this past week was seeing the young homegrown Jerome Gutjhar being played out of position at left-back (he is naturally more of a wide midfielder). When he was signed, no one expected him to play; his performance and poise against New York means that he may be staying there for a while. But with Johan Kappelhof no longer playing at center-back, instead shifted over at right back, that makes the defense even thinner. The only true defender healthy enough to come off the bench at the moment is Grant Lillard. That’s it.
But it’s not all bad. As I said, Gutjhar had an excellently composed performance for someone thrust into a position he was unready for. The other man who should definitely be seeing more playing time after his performance is holding midfielder Mo Adams. He is an absolute destroyer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone fully flatten an opponent and do it cleanly while coming straight out of the challenge with the ball. That’s just an incredible showing. Adams had been ‘loaned out’ to Memphis but had to be called back in due to the new injury situation. After a game like the one he had against NYRB, keeping Bradley Wright-Phillips silent, expect it to be his job to keep Toronto FC’s brand new weapon Alejandro Pozuelo silent this weekend.
As of this moment, the defense looks okay for the Chicago Fire. Any more injuries, however, may see a sharp decline into madness once again without any reinforcements.