One week in, the Club’s new facility has earned rave reviews
With the sun shining brightly on a surprisingly warm Tuesday afternoon in January, Chicago Fire FC players and staff got a first look at the Endeavor Health Performance Center, the Club’s new training facility located in Chicago’s Near West Side. Expectations were high that day, following months of hard work getting the facility ready for the players’ return from preseason work in Florida.
After a week of training, the verdict was in from defender Carlos Terán.
“It’s the best in the country,” said Terán through translation. “We have incredible things. Personally, it’s the first time that I’m in a high-performance center of this magnitude. I’m very impressed and really enjoy being here.”
Like Terán, his teammates raved about the many amenities found within, from the state-of-the-art gym to the spacious locker room. Several players mentioned looking forward to using the sauna for post-training recovery. Everyone, including the support staff, immediately fell in love with Chicago’s world-renown skyline seemingly perched above the training grounds.
For newcomers like winger Philip Zinckernagel, who had only seen pictures of the city before coming from Belgium’s Club Brugge, the views were only part of the reason he chose to make the move.
“I mean, it's pretty obvious when you see this building that they mean it's serious,” said Zinckernagel about the Club’s plans. “They want to build a world-class Club with the best facilities, a [competitive] squad and bringing in some older guys as well, and then you have quite a few really good [young] talents. So, I think that mix is going to be vital for the team.”
The allure of a world-class facility is one of the points driven home by Director of Football and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. Calling it “one of the top facilities in America, if not the world,” he added that it was an example of Fire Owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto’s commitment to improving the Club every day.
“We want to create an environment where people believe that they can come and develop to their full potential,” said Berhalter. “The Performance Center is an example of how we're going to help develop them. When I'm speaking to all these players across the globe, when I show them what we have in store, and I talk about the group, I talk about our history of developing and selling players, and when I talk about the Performance Center, their eyes light up, because it's a great package.”
Zinckernagel agreed with Berhalter’s pitch.
“As a player, you want to be able to have the best facilities and to have a base camp like this, where you can just develop and grow,” he said. “That's why you’re a football player, you know? You want the best places. And, I mean, for every player in this team, this is a gift, so it's just about enjoying it.”
The enjoyment of the Performance Center may not have been front-of-mind for players like Terán, who has seen many changes at the Club since joining in 2020. But he is relishing working there, spending as much time as he can all over the complex.
“I don’t mind being at the Club all day,” he said. “I like being here, I enjoy being here and I hope I can enjoy it all year, and even more with victories, that we can celebrate many things here.”
