Fire's Shipp 'learned a lot'

Clarifies that Fire owner Andrew Hauptman met with the media at the Oct. 24 home game against Houston, a game the Daily Herald could not cover.

Chicago Fire midfielder Harry Shipp started the season looking like a lock for MLS Rookie of the Year. He cooled off the second half of the season as he learned one reason being a professional is so much different from playing in college.

It takes a lot of stamina to last through an eight-month season.

"Obviously, it's a lot longer season than I ever completed in my life, but for me it was all about it being a learning experience," said Shipp, a homegrown player from Lake Forest and Notre Dame. "I think I learned a lot on the field, off the field, just in terms of how to be professional."

Shipp said he is looking to train abroad this off-season. He also knows where he needs to improve.

"There's a lot," he said, specifically defensive positioning, finishing and knowing when to make the right pass in the attacking third of the field.

Despite seeing his playing time decrease the second half of the season, Shipp still could win the rookie of the year award after finishing with 7 goals and 6 assists in 33 matches.

The CBA:

Don't be surprised if Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Union don't reach an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement until just before the 2015 season starts.

"I think it's going to look a lot like 2010," said Fire captain Jeff Larentowicz of the last time the CBA was negotiated. "It'll go to the wire. Unfortunately that seems to be when things move the most. It seems to be when people feel like the pressure is on, which it obviously will be at that point."

Among the sticking points, Larentowicz said, is that players will want more freedom to choose where they play. Having seen the league sign bigger TV contracts and receive big expansion fees, the players will look to share the wealth also.

"There are a lot of things on the docket that need to be changed, be talked about, be negotiated," said Larentowicz, who also serves on the MLSPU executive board.

Meanwhile, Fire coach and director of soccer Frank Yallop said it won't affect the Fire's off-season plans to upgrade the roster.

"Whatever happens, happens," Yallop said. "That's not even an issue. You just keep plowing forward like we would normally do in an off-season."

Running the business:

Fire chief operating officer Atul Khosla said the club is doing well with its off-field initiatives.

The club is making good progress with its north side soccer center, the Fire Juniors program continues to grow, ratings for local broadcasts of Fire games are up "close to 30 percent," Khosla said.

"We still have a lot of work to do in all of these fronts," he added. "By no means we are content with where we are, but we are excited about continuing to show progress year over year on all of these fronts."

The Saturday morning radio show the Fire started last spring with hosts Fred Huebner and Kevin Egan probably will return next season.

"We definitely want to do the radio show again, so we're actually in conversation with ESPN about that and about what that arrangement will be going into next year," Khosla said.

Possibly the most important item on Khosla's agenda is Quaker's jersey sponsorship with the Fire, which expires at the end of the season.

"We're in active dialogue, so stay tuned," Khosla said.

New strategy:

Fire owner Andrew Hauptman has decided this season to reduce how often he speaks with the media, with a team spokesman redirecting interview requests to Khosla and Yallop.

The cap:

Speaking just two days before his one-year anniversary with the Fire, Yallop said he believes the club is in a good position regarding the MLS salary cap.

"It's an ongoing thing," Yallop said. "It's always tight because you want to keep your best players and they usually get paid the most. It's always an issue. But we've got some room to make some moves, and I think that's important. We're not cleaning everybody out where we're going to have a brand-new team. You can't do that and I don't want to do that."

Pitching in:

Nobody was happy with the quality of the Toyota Park field this season, even when new sod was put in. It's an issue the club is working on with the Village of Bridgeview.

"It's ongoing, and we only rent the facility, so it's never easy to get things completely done and dusted when you want them done," Yallop said. "The big thing for us is we need it better for next season, so it's ongoing. We expect it to be sorted out this off-season, for the main field and the practice field."

He'll be back:

The Fire announced it signed right back Lovel Palmer to a new contract. It's likely he will be protected in the upcoming expansion draft, in which the Fire will lose two players to NYCFC and Orlando City.

"It's a great feeling," said Palmer, who is headed home to Jamaica to relax before starting training for next season. "It shows my that my work that I did here this season hasn't gone unnoticed and I'm really excited. There wasn't any second thoughts about re-signing when the coaches gave me the option. I felt very comfortable being in this city and the team, and I think we can do great things in this city and with this franchise, so I'm more than excited to be here."

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