Chicago Fire: Starting Kenneth Kronholm a risk not worth taking

It seems Kenneth Kronholm will be the starting goalkeeper for the Chicago Fire in 2020. Here is why that is a terrible idea.

A lot has been going on with the Chicago Fire. In the span of a few months, the club has undergone new management, changed stadiums, and lost two key players, while also signing a potential replacement soon after. Considering the MLS playoffs are still far from over, this has only been the beginning of a very hectic offseason for the Men In Red.

However, there has been one development that has snuck past many fans in recent weeks. It hasn’t been completely confirmed just yet, but there has been plenty of indication that goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm will be the starter when next year comes around.

If that is genuinely the plan, the Fire would be making yet another massive mistake.

The first hints came when the club announced their move to Soldier Field. As expected, there was a press and social media blitz, in which the Fire published plenty of content to hype up the change. Kronholm was a focal point of many photos, especially ones taken at the stadium. Now, players have left clubs after featuring in promotional videos, but that is not often the case, especially with goalkeepers.

The situation became clear when Chicago general manager Nelson Rodriguez held his latest media roundtable about a week ago. During the conference, he was asked about the goalkeeper position. He went on to reveal that certain metrics indicated that Kronholm was a ‘top five’ MLS keeper to end the season and that the club sees the German as the starter going into 2020, for now.

Kronholm might have improved somewhat down the stretch, but that doesn’t mean he was elite. He gave up four goals in his last two games of the season and only made a few truly remarkable saves. Even if he was as good as Rodriguez said he was, it still does not excuse just how bad Kronholm was early on in Chicago. Coming into the team after David Ousted made one too many mistakes, fans had hoped that the German would finally be the solution to the Fire’s long term problems in goal. Simply put, he wasn’t.

His first major error came about a month after his debut in a game versus the New York Red Bulls. Kronholm made a mess of a simple backpass from Bastian Schweinsteiger, taking a woeful first touch that allowed New York winger Kaku to take the ball and pass it into an empty net. That wouldn’t be his only mistake of the game. Kronholm failed to clear a cross in the final minutes, leading to an easy tap in at the back post for Daniel Royer.

He would make another crucial mistake a week later against Sporting Kansas City, coming way off his line to try and intercept a through ball being played in behind the Fire defense. Kronholm came nowhere near to the ball, leaving himself in no man’s land and making it easy for Yohan Croizet to slot home. That would prove to be the only goal of the game.

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Kronholm also gave away a ridiculous penalty when Chicago hosted the Montreal Impact. He tried to tackle the ball away from an opposing player only to completely take them out in the area instead. The referee had no choice but to point to the spot. Kronholm failed to save the resulting penalty.

Those were just the moments of madness that directly led to goals as well. There were plenty of times he had to be saved by his defense or was just bailed out because the opposition failed to take advantage. Kronholm is an accident waiting to happen every time he is on the field, and he proved as much throughout the season.

He is also 34 years old. If Kronholm was a younger goalkeeper who was still learning, maybe his past performances would be a little more acceptable. That is not the case. He is an experienced, veteran presence. He should be at the peak of his powers. And if this is the peak, it is not good enough.

Moreover, given his age, he might not even play for much longer. His staying would be a short-term solution, which is not what the Chicago Fire need at present. They should be looking for someone who will be starting in goal for years to come.

Unfortunately, however, it seems as though the front office has already made up its mind. They are committed to giving Kronholm another chance. Chicago Fire fans will just have to hope this decision does not come back to bite the Men In Red next year. (Spoiler alert: it probably will)