Fire hope to get a boost from 'game-changing' midfielder
At 5-foot-7, 150 pounds, Nicolas Gaitan seems a little small to carry the Chicago Fire's playoff hopes on his shoulders.
And yet just three games into the 2019 season the Fire (0-1-2, 1 point) already seems to need a boost. Enter Gaitan.
"I'm confident that we're going to be a much better team," said coach Veljko Paunovic, so thrilled with his new toy that he was moved to quote a Fleetwood Mac song, "and a team that can fulfill our main goal ... which is the playoffs. Reaching the playoffs is going to be a big thing for us. And then we're going to set other goals and objectives for the team."
Gaitan, 31, was introduced Thursday afternoon after flying in from Argentina overnight and going straight to his first training session with his new teammates. With a pedigree that includes appearances with the Argentina national team and in the UEFA Champions League, Gaitan is the playmaking midfielder Fire fans have been waiting for since Sebastian Grazzini left in the middle of the 2012 season.
"We've been looking for a long time for a player with his qualities," fourth-year coach Paunovic said, "with his profile and who can play the role of the creative attacking player. A game changer."
It's a lot of pressure to put on Gaitan. The Fire hopes he's up to it.
"Pressure? I would maybe call it something else but not pressure," Gaitan said through team translator Elizabeth Sanchez. " ... I do feel flattered for the kind words that they've said here today, and that gives me a sense of peace and calm."
Gaitan will need time to shake off the jet lag and get comfortable in a new city with new teammates and coaches. He is signed through the end of the season with a club option for next year. He didn't want to talk about his future or a possible return to Argentine club Boca Juniors.
"Right now I'm in Chicago and I'm going to give the best of me," he said, "and at the end of the year we're going to see how things worked because maybe I was a disaster and the club won't want me."
If Gaitan is never again mentioned in the same sentence as 2010 bust Nery Castillo, that's just fine with the Fire.
Gaitan last played four months ago in China, and he said he's not ready to go 90 minutes yet. Paunovic will be cautious with his prized midfielder, which means Gaitan might not play in Saturday's home game against the New York Red Bulls (noon, ESPN+).
"Most importantly we have to take care of him, we have to protect him now that he's here," Paunovic said. "We're going to surround him and give him our best."
Paunovic noted Gaitan's left foot can be the weapon on set pieces that the Fire has been missing. Unprompted, Paunovic told reporters that Gaitan should improve the Fire's defense, an obvious weakness in the season's early going.
"And I know that you guys are always going to bring it back to our defense, but sometimes being capable of committing more players for teams to defend more can help our defense too," he said.
As for the details on how Gaitan will change his tactics, Paunovic is in no hurry to decide. He did make one decision Thursday night, waiving sometime starter Nicolas Hasler to free an international roster slot for Gaitan.
"We are a stronger team with Nico and everyone else who is on the team right now," Paunovic said, "and we are going to figure it out."