Football Season Review

For the second straight season running, the Chicago Fire found themselves sitting rock bottom of MLS, finishing the 2016 campaign with just 31 points to their name. Despite making a number of changes in the off-season, the Fire would start the season in poor fashion, managing just 1 win from their first 10 games. With a slow start under their belt, the side from the Windy City would never really find any consistent form, going on to record just 7 wins over the course of the entire season. Chicago really did fail to perform in all departments, both in front of goal and at the back, where they managed to score just 42 goals, the joint fourth worst total in the entire league, also conceding 58, second only to Orlando City. No single player really stood out for the Fire, although David Accam was probably their most consistent performer, recording a total of 14 goals, 9 of them in the league, in what was a season often interrupted by minor injury problems. While Chicago would have hoped for a better all-round performance, especially under the leadership of new head coach, Veljko Paunovic, the year was not a complete failure with a few positives to take away. Michael de Leeuw for example was a welcomed attacking addition to the team with the Dutchman notching a total of 7 goals in his 17 starts for the side. After having a season to adapt to the league, he could prove to be a valuable addition in 2017. The same can also be said for Johan Kappelhof, who could turn out to be a valuable defensive asset with the right players alongside him. Despite finishing in last place in the league, a US Open Cup semi-final appearance turned out to be one of the few successes for Veljko Paunovic’s men, showing that they do possess at least some potential going into next year’s campaign. With regular goalkeeper Sean Johnson transferred to Atlanta United and then on to New York City, Chicago will need to find a replacement stopper in the offseason, although second choice Matt Lampson is no doubt fully capable. When it comes to scoring goals, it seems as though the Fire have already started to prepare, with the signing of 28 year old striker Nemanja Nikolic as a designated player. Having scored 41 goals in his previous 58 matches with Legia Warsaw, Nikolic could be just what Veljko Paunovic needs to give his side a boost next season.

Player of the Season: David Accam