On Thursday, the Chicago Fire took a step forward in ending a seven-season streak without making the playoffs when former U.S. men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter was introduced as their unused director of soccer and guardian. major. Berhalter has already gotten to work understanding what he wants the roster to look like next month, as MLS has one of the shortest offseasons in sports.
Securing Berhalter is a process that has been going on since August, when streaming director Georg Heitz announced his intentions to move to Europe and the process ended with Berhalter. At first, the goal was not for the Director of Football to be the ultimate tutor, but if Berhalter expressed his desire to do both, that was when Chimenea changed its trajectory a little.
“When we met with Gregg, he expressed his desire to do both, athletic director and head coach. While that was not initially our intention, because of who Gregg is and he had been successful in this dual role before, we were sure to that I would. work under Gregg’s leadership,” said Joe Mansueto, owner and president of Chicago Fireplace.
“From my perspective, what I wanted to do, what I try to do, is create an environment where people can do their best work. And if he can do his best work as Director of Football and Head Coach, then there is this connection perfect.” Mansueto insisted. “I’m fine with that, and he’ll build an organization under him to unload things; obviously you can’t do two full-time jobs, but he’ll build an organization around him, and I have every confidence he can do it.” do that.”
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The truth is that decision-making is a phase where the fire has slowed in recent seasons, and Berhalter could be the one helping to change that situation if it all comes from a single source. Early construction has been a trademark of the Fireplace group with Jhon Duran, Djordje Mihailovic and Gaga Slonina spending time within the device, but if the time has come to upgrade the roster with stars to help the team succeed in the next stage, there was a disconnection.
Berhalter will want to get around that hole and start the stairs to get around this group. A disused training facility and plans to locate a soccer-specific stadium in Chicago will help make that easier, but if push comes to shove, Berhalter must improve his eyesight. Not just to the players, but you will also have to sell it to the team as you begin to form the main administrative center and training team around it. Having coached at the highest possible levels of American soccer and spending an hour as a head tutor at the Columbus team’s main administrative center, he has a position that can help move this team in the right direction, but that doesn’t mean he’s cruel. that will be simple.
Berhalter has already gotten to work and says he is serious about the future that the Chimney offers. Don’t expect this to be similar to how the former USMNT manager ran the Columbus team, on the other hand.
“I learned a lot of lessons from the Columbus days working from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day for five years. I got older. That’s why I don’t have as much hair as I used to have. Guys “I can go back and see the photos to prove it,” Berhalter said of what he discovered running in Columbus. “In all seriousness, I realized I need help, and really part of the alignment with Joe was saying, ‘Okay, we want to create this executive leadership team that helps take on some of the responsibilities, whether it’s player transfers, player negotiations, player recruitment, performance, strategy. So it’s really about creating a team around us that we can all push in the same direction to try to have. success for the club.”
Seeking to make a difference is where those twin roles can become traps for managers because both roles require a lot of work. Stability is vital and Berhalter could have order in a team of workers that he trusts to delegate duties. Part of Berhalter’s reasoning for taking this position is that it worked for him and his population, so being able to balance the two will be key.
“Yes, you take everything into account. This was a moment that I chose for my family. As a player, you are selfish. You always look for the best opportunity, you move and you move.” , and you’re moving,” Berhalter stated about probably most of the components on the back of his choice. Then you get a training task, and you’re also transferring, and you’re also transferring your population. This was a life where I said, you know, this opportunity is very good, there are many possibilities in this club and my population will become solid.
“They will be in one place. My daughter will graduate from high school. She is a junior now. That was a big part of the decision. Europe has always been one of my ambitions, and it is not binary,” he insisted. “Just because I came here doesn’t mean there will never be an opportunity in Europe, but right now this is the best opportunity for me and my family.”
Surprisingly all together, it makes a lot of sense why this could be Berhalter’s next step following his departure from the USMNT. He has the ability to create deep, deep picks that can support the current state of American football. For a detail-oriented coach like Berhalter, it’s a dream ride, but now the work will begin to provide certainty that Fireplace will be a playoff team next season.
