Chicago Fire GM Rodriguez: We need to find another offensive weapon

With his third season as the Chicago Fire general manager now under way, Nelson Rodriguez sat down with the Daily Herald on Thursday for a 50-minute, one-on-one chat.

Rodriguez not only discussed his expectations for the team on the field but also his added duties as team president overseeing business operations.

The following, focusing on the soccer operations side of the club today, has been edited for content, clarity and length. Part II, focusing on the business operations for the club, will follow in Saturday's Daily Herald.

Q: One game in (a 4-3 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Saturday), what did you learn about your team?

A: For me the 90 minutes showed all that we can be and all that we are. I think it showed where we need to improve, and I don't think we're surprised by those areas, and it showed when we're clicking and moving we're pretty good. To get 3 against one of the best defensive teams in the league historically is not easy. To outpossess that team is not easy. They actually have very high possession records.

But I think the goals we conceded with - I want to give credit to Sporting, it has nothing to do with them - but it feels like our goals are so hard to get and it just feels like the goals we surrender are too easy.

I said it in preseason and I think it's my responsibility, I think the roster is incomplete. And until we get more competition in certain spots and find another offensive weapon, which is odd saying after you scored 3 goals, I think we're going to have to find ways to keep it together.

Q: What positions do you think you need to “complete?”

A: Look I think in the back line, with the injuries to Jonathan (Campbell) and Grant (Lillard, a homegrown signing this winter from Hinsdale), that's hurt, because we believe in competition, and we believe in playing the guys who give us the best chance to win on any Saturday. … We need Jonathan back, we need Grant back. Jonathan is only in his third season, Grant's a rookie. Christian (Dean, Saturday's starter at center back) has not had a chance to play a lot in his career, so I would still label him inexperienced, so I think finding experience there would help.

And Richard (Sanchez, Saturday's starting goalkeeper, and backups) Stefan (Cleveland) and Patrick (McLain), in terms of volume of games … Stefan is inexperienced. I would say the other two are less experienced. And so I think that's an area we have to continue to look at.

Q: Are these positions that you can fill this window before it closes in May?

A: It's possible. … There are always possibilities, but the answers may need to come internally rather than internationally.

Q: How does it look for the summer window then? Do you think you'll have more luck in the summer window than you did this winter?

A: Look, we have players that are in our pipeline that we know. The only chance they have of becoming available would be in the summer, so we'll continue following those players and importantly following the performance of their teams.

That will also play a role as to whether they are available or not in the summer. Whether a team qualifies for intercontinental competition or not, what have you. February and March are generally the times when we're adding new targets to our list for the summer. It's too early for me to say.

Q: You mentioned that this is your third year. When you came in you talked about having a three-to-five-year plan. Are you where you thought you would be at this point?

A: … I think the meteoric jump in results last year has cast different expectations on a lot of folks. I still think we need to improve our collective mentality, and the first game is an example of that.

I said the first year we learned how to compete, the second year we learned how to win, and this year we need to learn what it is to be a champion. And to me that last piece is more about attitude and mentality than it is even about talent. The comeback shows what we're capable of. The loss shows who we are. …

Q: But you feel like you're making progress toward where you want to be as a team?

A: Without a doubt. We're in a much better place today than when we first arrived, in many aspects. Just how the team plays, how the team is, the talent level, the resources that we have and can still apply. So I do think we're better.

But it's not enough. I don't want it to be a firework that goes up one time, looks pretty and then comes crashing down. And again, it's my job to see beyond results. We have the ambition to go further, be better in every way, and we'll work toward that on a daily basis.