Chicago Fire: The rebrand has been good

The Chicago Fire rebrand has been widely ridiculed. But as the progress they have made on and off the pitch shows, it might have been a good thing.

The Chicago Fire rebrand was not popular. From the moment it was unveiled on their social media channels, it was ridiculed, derided, mocked, heavily criticised for lacking imagination and interest. And plenty of those slights and derisions were fair and justified. The logo was not — and still is not — the most handsome looking fella.

However, while the designs of the club, the logo, the shirts and other promotional materials are problematic, what they represent, and the deeper work that is going on behind the scenes,is extremely positive for the future of the organisation.

There might not be another team that went through the same foundational change as the Chicago Fire this offseason. A new personnel management structure, a new head coach, an almost entirely new roster which includes replacing all three Designated Players, a new stadium, newly renovated training facilities, a new logo and look, and, at the head of it all, a new owner.

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It is Joe Manseuto’s drive and dream that is exploding this expansive — and likely expensive — reboot through the very sinews of the organisation. As new head Raphael Wicky explained this week to the Chicago Sun Times, the club is only embarking on what will be a very long process of rehabilitation and resurrection:

"“If you want to have consistent success, it’s a package of everything. It’s not just one season, it’s not just the players, it’s not just the training ground. It’s all together <…> it’s developing the facilities, and then it’s also developing the academy <…> it takes time, but it’s a really exciting process.”"

And the early signs suggest that the work the Chicago Fire are putting in is taking effect. They have produced very encouraging performances to open the now-stalled MLS season, including seeing individuals progress like Alvaro Madran, Robert Beric, the DP centre-forward who has already opened his account, and young homegrown star, Mauricio Pineda. The move to Soldier Field is much-awaited and is now viewed as an exciting venture rather than a daunting, inevitable failure that saw a gaping stadium and empty stands.

Then there is there improved look on social media, with some excellent video content, transfer unveilings, and slick design and interaction. This may seem like a silly thing to highlight, but it helps to illuminate the attention to detail that the Fire have paid to their reboot, which serves wonderfully for the work that they will conduct in future seasons.

There has also been extensive investment in the facilities. The Fire are still training at SeatGeek Stadium and the facilities have undergone wide-ranging renovations, including tripling the workout space, a new video analytics room, modernising the locker room and a whole host of other vast improvements.

As centre-back Johan Kappelhoff explained, real progress is being made:

"“It’s positive. It’s all positives. When I came in, I had to find my way. I’ve been here four years, but I had to find my way. It’s good. There’s only positive things happening around the club and it’s good that everything is improving, also for the players.”"

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It was very easy to pile on the Chicago Fire rebrand. And to some extent, they deserved much of the criticism. But dig a little deeper and you will see a club that is beginning to flourish. ‘The plan is to invest in the club,’ Mansueto promised. And you can bet your bottom dollar that he is going to do just that.

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