Chicago Fire: 3 silver linings of coronavirus hiatus

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FOXBOROUGH, MA – MARCH 7: Jonathan Bornstein #3 of Chicago Fire, Robert Beric #27 of Chicago Fire and Przemyslaw Frankowski #11 of Chicago Fire celebrate the Chicago Fire goal during a game between Chicago Fire and New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on March 7, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Timothy Bouwer/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /

Having no games for a month may suck, but for the Chicago Fire, some good can come from the MLS’ 30-day hiatus. Here are three silver linings.

It has been less than a week since Major League Soccer announced the 2020 season would be suspended for a month due to the coronavirus outbreak but it certainly feels much longer. This past weekend was the first one without games taking place and fans will have to wait a good deal yet to see their teams back on the pitch. This whole situation obviously sucks for all parties involved, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any silver linings to find in the midst of all this darkness.

The Chicago Fire made a promising start to the 2020 campaign, putting up a fight against the Seattle Sounders before getting a solid point on the road versus the New England Revolution. However, they are now on break like everyone else, much to the chagrin of supporters, who were really starting to get excited about the year ahead.

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But while soccer’s absence may hurt and dismay, it isn’t all doom and gloom for the Chicago Fire. Here are three silver linings to the hiatus.

Argentina’s Defensa y Justicia midfielder Ignacio Aliseda (L) celebrates after scoring against Argentina’s Banfield during their Copa Sudamericana round of sixteen second leg football match at Florencio Sola stadium in Banfield, Argentina on September 27 , 2018. (Photo by JAVIER GONZALEZ TOLEDO / AFP) (Photo credit should read JAVIER GONZALEZ TOLEDO/AFP via Getty Images) /

3. Time to gel

One of the reasons why the Chicago Fire had some struggles this season was due to roster availability and team chemistry. Most of their main offseason signings were unavailable for the opening two games. Robert Beric and Alvaro Medran did feature, but they were brought on board very early on. Others who came in later in the winter offseason didn’t play as much.

Gaston Giminez and Miguel Navarro only came off the bench in New England. Meanwhile, the trio of Ignacio Aliseda, Boris Sekulic, and Luka Stanojevic have yet to make their respective debuts for the club as visa issues delayed their arrivals. Now, with the break in place, these players will get the chance to acclimate to life in Chicago.

They can move in with their families, figure out where they are living, and get used to being in the Windy City. Most importantly, those players will get some extra time to practice before the season resumes. MLS is currently stopping teams from training, as they should, but there will be opportunities to train before the season gets underway again. In that time, the Fire will have a crucial opportunity to embed the new players into the team.

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