After picking up just one MLS point during the month of May, the Chicago Fire are bearing down for a heavy schedule over the next couple of months.
Head coach Frank Klopas knows he’ll need all the players he has available to make it through and gain ground on a playoff spot.
“It’s a different kind of training you do because you have to freshen the guys up for games” said Klopas. “When you talk about depth and guys you bring in, you rely on those guys and we had to also in the beginning with the injuries we had.”
The 2-0 win over D.C. United a few days ago was a good start, but Klopas’s group are still 11 points out of fifth place in the East, and will need to gain ground in that department.
They’ll try to gain ground while playing nine league matches in the next two months (including the D.C. United win). Thankfully, the competition isn’t of the top level, avoiding the top four teams in the league during that stretch.
However, they also have a U.S. Open Cup match with Columbus and a friendly against Mexico’s Club America to navigate during that time.
The addition of Mike Magee has been incredibly promising. He scored in his Chicago debut against D.C., and will have a huge impact in a squad that’s netted just 9 times in 11 matches so far.
Klopas knows it will take his whole squad to gain on the top of the table during this stretch. “It’s not just 11 guys that start, you need to have that kind of depth in every spot. You never know what will happen in the season but [its good] also for guys to be able to push themselves and compete.”
Chicago stayed relatively unscathed on the Gold Cup roster, although they do see keeper Sean Johnson potentially head out with the national team, so they’ll need to monitor the upcoming rosters once they’re narrowed down.
