Chicago Fire Midweek Training: 3 takeaways from Week 2

1. How do new arrivals change things?

After around a month of waiting, the Chicago Fire’s squad appears to be complete. All four players now have their visas and have arrived at training in Chicago. The four are Boris Sekulic, Gaston Gimenez, Igancio Aliseda, and Luka Stojanovic. So what does their arrival mean for the Fire?

Well, first and foremost, it means a change to the starting XI. Sekulic will replace Brandt Bronico at full-back. Gimenez saw action in the game against New England and, while he had a bit of a rough start with a nearly fatal turnover in one of his first touches, he made an instant impact with his excellent passing. He would likely replace Mauricio Pineda, who has impressed of late. Perhaps one of the pair could slide into center-back?

Finally, you have Aliseda and Stojanovic. Over the past two games, Djordje Mihailovic has been starting on the left-wing, Aliseda’s natural position. If Aliseda replaces him, that allows Mihailovic to move into his more natural central position, which is where Stojanovic projects to feature. One of the three, then, will have to miss out.

That the Chicago Fire are now up to full strength provides Raphael Wicky with options and inner-squad competition. And that, as the season progresses, will only pay dividends.