In 2013 it took until the fifth game of the season for the Chicago Fire to record a win. In 2014, it took nine games. In 2015 it happened in their fourth game, as was the case last year.
On Saturday, in their second game of the 2017 season, they posted a 2-0 home shutout of RSL. They're now 1-0-1 with a home win and a road draw, and they've played two very good halves (the second at Columbus and the first vs. RSL), one "meh" half (the second vs. RSL) and one bad half (the first in Ohio).
The fanbase is, if not exactly "happy," at the very least "cautiously optimistic." Happiness will only come with a playoff berth, and thus we'll need to check the mood in November rather than in March. It will be a long process with highs and lows because this is, after all, MLS, but even "cautiously optimistic" is a positive step for Fire fans.
Ok, is everyone set for this week's version of "Small Sample Size Theater"? Let's go...
The early returns on the central midfield overhaul that defined this offseason are predictably good. This video illustrates how Dax McCarty's vision was instrumental in turning deep possession into Chicago's first goal against RSL (and please enjoy the dulcet tones of Ben Baer's voice over work):
#OSOVISION!!!! @BenBaer89 breaks down the Fire's game-winning goal vs. RSL. pic.twitter.com/TMgTg2364J
— Matthew Doyle (@MLSAnalyst) March 11, 2017
This was the hallmark of McCarty's time in New York. No d-mid in the league is braver when it comes to splitting the defense on those balls up the middle into the attack's feet, and it has to be edifying to the powers that be in the Fire front office to see it happening already in Bridgeview. If you want to understand how Chicago are going to be built to play, there's your clip.
Juninho had a number of similar moments. The veterans were constantly able to get service to the Fire's attackers in the space between RSL's lines of defense and midfield – a spot that was mostly barren last season, and the year before that, etc etc etc. That's promising.
Also promising has been the development of second-year left back Brandon Vincent, who played what I thought was the best two-way game of his career against RSL. He had a couple of positional mistakes in the final third (his instincts are to pinch and flood the box rather than defend the cross), and one or two wayward passes, but he looks more like a fullback this year. His 1v1 defense is still mostly outstanding, his vision moving forward were improved, and he was generally more effective supporting the build-up.
Less promising is the forward pairing of Michael De Leeuw and Nemanja Nikolic. Whether it's called a 4-4-2 or a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-2-3-1, they haven't really been on the same page, and neither has consistently created danger when dropping between the lines to get on the ball. De Leeuw's just not an instinctive playmaker – even on the goal he takes an extra touch, but is bailed out by RSL's desperation defense. Most of the other times he got into those spots he simply didn't see the pass, and he's created just one chance in 180 minutes thus far.
Nikolic is basically the same player so far. Both guys are best at seeking space by running the channels and can combine a bit in final third, yet neither is going to unlock a defense with their vision. As a result Chicago had multiple chances in the second half to turn possession in good spots into chances on goal, and have had no one to deliver the final ball. This will become an issue sooner or later. They have to improve and they know it:
And thus as expected, the Fire are a work in progress. The difference between this year and basically every other in the last half-decade is that the "progress" part is plain to see, even if it's only been two games.
