Grades reflect Fire's rough soccer season

Over the past 12 months, the Fire kept us busy trying to figure out who was coming and who was going.

First-year coach Carlos de los Cobos and technical director Frank Klopas kept dialing new numbers, adding to the roster in a frenetic attempt to find a winning combination.

After that didn't work, there were rumors galore the club would make some major moves in the off-season. Those rumors have faded in recent weeks, and now that the season has ended the club doesn't seem to have any major announcements in the offing.

It appears de los Cobos will be back as coach, and former assistant coach Mike Jeffries has rejoined the club to help Klopas scout around the world.

“Carlos has never indicated otherwise,” Klopas said Wednesday. “I know this is a place he has made a commitment to. I know he has a commitment to this team. There's always a lot of rumors.”

Let's look back at how the new faces fared:

The Designated Players: Nery Castillo and Freddie Ljungberg joined the club at midseason and while Ljungberg gave the team a boost, Castillo had no impact, failing to score or tally an assist in 487 minutes.

Both likely will be back, and the pressure will be on Castillo, as one of the highest-paid players in league, to score.

“That transition obviously was a lot easier for Freddie because he's been in the league already,” Klopas said, also noting Castillo's rust from lack of playing time in Europe before his signing.

Grade: Incomplete.

Veteran signings: The Fire brought in four players during the off-season, and none of the four made the rest of MLS envious.

Midfielder Julio Martinez was gone after a few months and a few minutes of playing time. Krzysztof Krol and Deris Umanzor alternated at left back during the first half of the season, but neither could nail down the job, losing it when Gonzalo Segares returned at midseason from Cyprus. They got playing time down the stretch due to Segares' injury and suspension.

Krol's loan is up, and he'll probably return to Poland. Umanzor's fate could be decided when the Fire returns next week for a couple of weeks of postseason training at Toyota Park before heading to the off-season.

But the player the Fire really had high hopes for, Collins John, never lived up to his promise, in part because of illness. He scored just 3 goals and added 1 assist in 17 games.

“If you ask me and if you ask Collins himself as a player, he's not happy with his overall performance,” Klopas said, adding he had hoped for 7-10 goals from John.

The club brought in Bratislav Ristic late in the season after an extended trial and liked what it saw when he finally made it to the field. He's the player from this group most likely to return.

Grade: D

The rookies: The top pick, Corben Bone, played just 114 minutes in MLS games and seemed overmatched when he did play. He wasn't able to catch up to the speed of play.

Kwame Watson-Siriboe showed promise but also a propensity to make a big mistake. Still, the team has high hopes for the 6-foot-4 central defender. Fellow second-rounder Drew Yates didn't make it past the preseason, but third-rounder Steven Kinney did. He could be the right back of the future, especially if he can avoid the injury bug that bit him this year.

The fourth-round pick made the biggest splash, goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who won the starting job in August and showed spectacular athleticism, winning over fans and teammates.

“Those guys, players like that you see that they have a lot of potential,” Klopas said of the 2010 draft class.

Grade: B

Party on

The Fire, in conjunction with Section 8 Chicago, will host an end-of-season party for supporters at The Pitch, the soccer-themed bar recently opened by Frank Klopas at 2142 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago. The party will be at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9, and retiring defender C.J. Brown will be honored.

Meet the Riot

If you haven't heard of the Chicago Riot, there's a reason.

Two weeks ago it didn't exist.

On Nov. 19 it will play its first game in the Major Indoor Soccer League. On Dec. 5 it will play its first of eight home games, all on Sundays, at the Odeum in Villa Park.

“We have a lot to put together quickly,” said Peter Wilt, part-owner/team president/CEO, at Tuesday's introductory news conference.

This is another Wilt soccer enterprise. He also helped found the old Chicago Power indoor team, as well as the Chicago Fire and the women's Chicago Red Stars, with which he's still a part-owner, though he might end that relationship to focus on the Riot. He also has left the Milwaukee Wave.

Many of the Riot players, as well as coach Jeff Kraft, came from the Rockford Rampage, which suspended operations.

Tickets are on sale at (630) 708-6284. Tickets start at $10, and seating sections will be named after historic Chicago riots. Really.

“We're going to have fun with it,” Wilt said.