Schwarz: Fire trades last remnant of team's bygone era
The Chicago Fire didn't just trade its longtime goalkeeper Sunday morning.
The Fire also ended an era in club history.
In a move that was destined to happen since he was benched at the start of the 2016 season, the Fire traded Sean Johnson to 2017 expansion side Atlanta United FC for general allocation money. Atlanta, which is expected to sign U.S. national team goalkeeper and Chicago-area native Brad Guzan next month, then dealt Johnson to New York City FC for GAM and targeted allocation money. Amounts were not disclosed.
Johnson was the Fire's fourth-round draft pick out of Central Florida in 2010 and was expected to learn his trade behind veteran Jon Busch. But when Busch was cut on the eve of the 2010 season and Andrew Dykstra didn't pan out, Johnson became the starter as a rookie.
He held the position until first-year coach Veljko Paunovic benched him for the first nine games of the 2016 season, and then again for the season finale in Toronto.
Johnson was the last player remaining from the Fire's 2014 roster. He was the last remaining player to have played in a playoff game for the Fire, that coming in 2012.
And he was the last player from a bygone era in Fire history.
Players come and go. The Fire has had plenty of those the past seven disappointing seasons. They are quickly forgotten.
Johnson was the last player from an era when players came to the Fire and stayed. And became a part of the community. And developed a bond with the club's supporters.
Johnson stuck around long enough to earn a nickname, "the Milkman," for a grocery-store chain's promotion, offered when Johnson made 3 saves in a game. He will not be forgotten.
But slowly the Fire began to change.
Logan Pause and Gonzalo Segares retired. Chris Rolfe and Patrick Nyarko were traded away within Major League Soccer.
That bond between the fans and the team has been broken. It remains to be seen if it can be rebuilt.
Johnson's trade leaves just 16 players on the roster. None of the remaining players can be considered stars within MLS, not to mention international soccer. Most are known only to the most die-hard of the club's supporters.
A new group of players will be brought to Chicago in the next couple of months for the 2017 season, the Fire's 20th, to fill out the roster.
Fans will have a lot to learn about them. If those players stick around more than a year or two, maybe fans will become as comfortable with them as they were with the Milkman.
• Follow Orrin on Twitter @Orrin_Schwarz.