Important dates for Fire? They're next year
Now that the Chicago Fire is down to just 10 games remaining in the MLS season and has about as much chance of earning a playoff berth as I have of getting a date with Jennifer Aniston, feel free to wonder what the club is playing for the next two months.
At 2-7-15, the last-place Fire probably can only play spoiler, as it did in holding playoff contender D.C. United to just a point Thursday night at Toyota Park in a 1-1 draw, breaking the MLS record for ties in a season.
There's nothing else for the Fire other than the U.S. Open Cup semifinal Aug. 30 at Toyota Park. To make the playoffs it would have to win at least seven of its final 10 matches. After winning just two of its first 24, go ahead, bet against it.
“You've got to be realistic, we're all playing for jobs for next year,” said interim coach/technical director Frank Klopas, while adding he also puts the best, most deserving players on the field.
So why not experiment a little? Why not find a coach now instead of waiting until Jan. 11, like it did in 2008 in hiring Denis Hamlett and 2010 in hiring Carlos de los Cobos?
Why not give the new coach more than a few days before the draft and a couple of weeks before preseason training to plan? Why not let him see firsthand what he'll have to work with, on the playing field, training field and in the locker room.
Like the Fire, Vancouver fired its coach on Memorial Day, replacing Teitur Thordarson on an interim basis with player personnel director Tom Soehn, an Arlington Heights native and former Fire defender. Last week Vancouver announced that Soehn had his replacement for the 2012 season, Martin Rennie. Rennie won't take over the team for a couple of months, but at least he can spend that time studying the players, preparing himself for next year.
Klopas said last week a coaching search will wait for the off-season.
Meanwhile, here are a few of the things the Fire has to figure out:
Ÿ Can Dominic Oduro score on a breakaway? He hit goalkeeper Bill Hamid's feet in the ninth minute, the right post in the 14th, missed a gimme from 4 yards out in the 43rd. It's been like that for him all season, yet he leads the team with 7 goals.
Ÿ Can anyone else out of Patrick Nyarko, Diego Chaves, Cristian Nazarit and Orr Barouch become the double-digit scorer the Fire hasn't had since Damani Ralph?
Ÿ Can Sebastian Grazzini play more than 72 minutes? He got the goal in the 59th minute with a side volley, but he wasn't around after Josh Wolff evened the game in the 73rd and the Fire needed another goal.
Ÿ At 35 does Pavel Pardo have another season in him? Even when the Fire needed a goal late in a midweek game, Pardo showed he could go the full 90 minutes Thursday, like he has since he arrived.
Ÿ Is Jalil Anibaba a center back, where he's played the past couple of games, or a right back, where he spent most of the season?
The Fire needs to start looking for answers. Or the club could keep pretending it has a shot at the playoffs.
“There's always hope,” Oduro said.
Hello, Jennifer?
oschwarz@dailyherald.com