Most summers, International breaks in MLS season are a dull and laborious affair. In a regular summer, we would be feeding off of scraps. You can try all you want, I’m never going to care about the USMNT. I know this puts me in the extreme minority of American soccer writers. But I really can’t find any enthusiasm for the US team or the subpar teams they routinely struggle to get passed for World Cup Qualification. The failure of the US Olympic team, the US Under-23s, to qualify for London is exactly what I expect out of the USMNT. So chant “U-S-A” all you want as Landon Donovan scores a brace against Antigua, the only kindness I can muster is a slow, exasperated sign.
Fortunately, this summer is Euro2012 so a constant supply of proper football has been streaming during this year’s break. It’s made things easier because going into the break the Chicago Fire looked exhausted and out of sorts. May was a brutish month that ended badly for the team (3-1-3) losing to rivals Columbus and then getting booted from the US Open Cup by upstarts the Michigan Bucks. The hurt continued when the Fire lost decisively to New England just before the break. This means that Chicago have now lost three straight, two in league play. A two week break was just what was needed to erase the hurt and re-charge the batteries.
It will not be an easy June for the Fire, however, with matches against the best teams in the Eastern Conference—the New York Red Bulls this weekend, a rematch against Columbus, and Sporting Kansas City. Each match will be an interesting dynamic. But a strong showing against the Red Bulls will right the ship for the Fire. New York were ousted from the US Open Cup by Harrisburg City, but the Red Bulls have the best form of any team in the Eastern Conference being undefeated over their last six league games and with only one loss across all competitions since April 22nd. Over the break, Theirry Henry tweaked his calf while training on his own, so it’s questionable if he will have healed up and be in the starting line-up against the Fire at Toyota Park on Sunday. I suspect he will be or, at the very least, available as a substitute. Perhaps that’s a boon for Chicago, but Kenny Cooper is threat a plenty and will put pressure on the Chicago backline.
A backline that has not impressed of late, seeming to have run out of gas over the last two matches played before the International break. Fire supporters can feel good about center half Arne Friedrich, who looks close to returning to action from his hamstring strain. However, I doubt that Chicago will rush Friedrich back. Like Henry, I suspect that if Friedrich feels good he’ll be available from the bench rather than as a starter. This means that Jalil Anibaba and Austin Berry need tighten up and show the home fans that they can stifle the Red Bull attack. And the youngsters could, if Henry is out, if Lindpere who picked up a back issue while with Estonia this week is hampered, and if resident slime-ball Rafa Marquez is out with a lingering thigh injury.
Chicago Fire golden boy Chris Rolfe should be starting on Sunday. Rolfe paired with Dominic Oduro could see a revitalized Chicago attack, especially if Patrick Nyarko and in-form Marco Pappa (a player that USMNT supporters will certainly disdain due to his screamer of an equalizer in World Cup Qualifying this week) put in proper attacking winger displays. A Fire squad that plays wide and knows it can cross balls into the box to two adept forwards is one that can certainly tear open New York. A Fire squad that continues to insist on playing very compact, ignoring the wings, and slogging forward through the middle of the pitch is one that will be easily stifled by the Red Bulls.
Focus should be on Sebastian Grazzini. The lynchpin of Chicago’s attack this season is enduring prolonged contract negotiations that have put his status in question; Grazzini’s contract expires July 1st. This means Grazzini will either go out hot to prove on the pitch that he deserves an extension (which he does because he has) or he will go out cold to let the front office see what the Fire would look like without his presence. It’s obvious which of these two options Chicago supporters would favor. If terms can’t be agreed to, then look for incoming Brazilian international Alex Monteiro de Lima (just “Alex”) to try to step into Grazzini’s role. Younger (24 to Grazzini’s 31), Alex plays the same position as Grazzini (the creative, center-attacking mid) and is coming out of a MLS comparable league (the Swiss Challenge League, Switzerland’s second league). All of which could bode well for Chicago but I’m hesitant to believe that Alex and Grazzini should be looked at as a one-in/one-out dynamic. Quite simply, Grazzini is too important to the club’s success to let walk. I’m also uncomfortable with Chicago’s insistence on ignoring domestic players.
If this year’s US Open Cup demonstrated anything it was that the lower divisions of US soccer have great stores of high end talent that can certainly via for regular MLS starting time. Too many MLS sides are still looking abroad to fill out their rosters or infuse them with a new energy, there are some brilliant young players right here in the US who can do this and deserve the opportunity to play. If MLS teams continue to look elsewhere, the game will stagnate in our country. Lower division teams need to be able to develop players and sell contracts to higher division clubs in order to establish a soccer economy to grow the game and young, undrafted players need to know that there is a clear, sure path for them to climb the ladder.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
