Ahead of the 2015 SuperDraft, MLSsoccer.com is breaking down each team's needs and potential draft targets. The Chicago Fire have been making moves all offseason after a disappointing 2014.
Frank Yallop & Co. started wheeling and dealing pretty much the moment the final whistle blew on their record-setting season. (I know it's juvenile of me, but I just can't let go of the fact that this team drew 18 of their 34 games last year. That's insane). In have come the likes of David Accam, Kennedy Igboananike, Guly do Prado and Adailton.
It seems like a good start, but Chicago are still a team in flux. They don't have clear starters at a couple of spots, they lack depth pretty much everywhere except forward and goal, and I'm not even willing to wager on what formation they'll play in 2015.
All that adds up to a "best talent on the board" pick for them. This roster needs MLS-caliber players not just for 2015, but for the five years following this coming season.
Getting it right in the draft -- at any spot -- is a must.
Fire SuperDraft selections: #7 (1st round), #28 (2nd round), #68 (4th round)
Fire Depth Chart: 22 players
Goalkeeper (3): Sean Johnson, Kyle Reynish, Alec Kann
Left Back (2): Joevin Jones, Greg Cochrane
Center Back (3): Jeff Larentowicz, Adailton, Patrick Doody
Right Back (2): Lovel Palmer, Eric Gehrig
Center Midfield (3): Razvan Cocis, Matt Watson, Michael Stephens, Chris Ritter, Collin Fernandez
Left Midfield (1): Harry Shipp
Right Midfield (1): Patrick Nyarko
Forward (5): David Accam, Kennedy Igboannike, Quincy Amarikwa, Mike Magee, Guly do Prado
Primary Need: Wide midfield
Shipp's actually more of a No. 10 -- I think he has "Lee Nguyen in 2014"-type upside -- and Nyarko is likely to miss the start of the season with his ACL rehab. Magee, who's also coming off an injury, used to play left midfield for the Galaxy, but it's probably smarter to use the former league MVP at his best position.
Accam could be used at left midfield, but he's really more of a winger suited for a 4-3-3 or even a 4-2-3-1. Hence my ultimate confusion about what formation Yallop's going to trot out there this season. It all feels like a work in progress, and I'm not sure what the endgame is.
Regardless of the formation, the Fire need more bodies to throw at the wide spots. Problem is there's no pure wide midfielder worth taking at No. 7, so the following targets are more for the No. 28 pick.
Targets:Connor Hallisey (California), Akeil Barrett (Tulsa), Robbie Lovejoy (North Carolina)
Secondary Need: Center back
See how I plugged Jeff Larentowicz, long one of the best center midfielders in the league, into the middle of the Fire back line up there? That's a gamble on my part. Big Red could push to go back to his preferred position, and this whole depth chart could go up in smoke.
With or without him back there, however, Chicago are woefully thin and are a good bet to spend the No. 7 pick on a central defender in a draft loaded at that spot.
Targets:Conor Donovan (NC State / GA), Axel Sjoberg (Marquette), Tim Parker (St. John's), Fatai Alashe (Michigan State)
SUPERDRAFT TEAM PREVIEWS
- Columbus Crew:Step by step, second time around for CCSC
- Colorado Rapids:Can Mile High Club find a contributor late?
- DC United: One more piece for one more step
- Houston Dynamo:One decade later, a new era begins
- LA Galaxy:Recalibrating a championship machine
- Montreal Impact:Building out after a promising stretch run
- New England Revolution:Suddenly great, but plenty of need
- New York City FC:Feeling kind of blue east of the Hudson
- New York Red Bulls:Another new era in Jersey
- Real Salt Lake: Not quite a rebuild in the high desert
- San Jose Earthquakes: Recapturing that Goonie magic
- Toronto FC: Trying to solve the eternal problem in Ontario
- Vancouver Whitecaps:A full roster for Cascadia kings
- New England Revolution:Suddenly great but plenty of need
- Phildelphia Union: Building around the core
- Seattle Sounders:Nothing glaring for Shield, USOC winners
- Sporting KC:Filling it all out after a mini-rebuild
- Chicago Fire:Endless questions in the Windy City
- Portland Timbers:Draft & stash with T2 up and running
- Orlando City:Is there a trade for No. 1 in the works?
