With the first leg of preseason underway, the Fire have begun their preparation for the 2024 MLS season at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
The beginning of this year brings an immediate sense of excitement, especially for newly appointed Head Coach Frank Klopas, who spoke to the media for the first time since the announcement of his hiring on Dec. 5, 2023.
The preseason press conference also saw Designated Player Xherdan Shaqiri express his excitement for the new season, while winger Chris Mueller, who has returned from injury following season-ending hip surgery during the 2023 season, provided insight on his return to the team, a reunion with his former college teammate Tom Barlow, and more.
Let’s break down what we gathered from the press conference.
From the Gaffer
In his first media availability of 2024, Klopas emphasized the team’s improvement between October to now, with emphasis on newly acquired defenders Tobias Salquist and Allan Arigoni.
“We have made two key additions off the bat Tobias Salquist and Alan Arigoni,” Klopas said. “Two players that are very good players, experienced players that can come in and I believe (will help) the team right away.”
Klopas has every right to be excited.
Arigoni, a skillful right back acquired via loan from FC Lugano, joins the team with a plethora of upside in a competitive position that features Jonathan Dean and Arnaud Souquet. Additionally, Arigoni will play alongside fellow countryman Maren Haile-Selassie, another former member of FC Lugano that joined the Fire via loan.
On the other hand, Salquist comes in to provide immediate support to a center back position that has been strong and competitive. With defender Carlos Terán expected to miss the next four-to-six weeks after undergoing successful knee surgery this week, Salquist will provide additional experience, depth and quality to an important position on the roster.
With injuries in prior seasons impacting Chicago’s defensive core, Sporting Director Georg Heitz was clear in addressing one of the team’s needs during the offseason.
The acquisitions of Salquist, Arigoni, and defender Andrew Gutman, do exactly that.
“They have been working really hard to get that done, enforce the team and improve the team, and that's always been our goal. “ Klopas mentioned.
On top of that, the longtime Club legend made it abundantly clear that his goals are to continue helping the Club and bringing it back to its winning ways.
“I don't take this opportunity in any light way. I'm really honored to be in this position, and I will do whatever it takes to help this Club become successful.” Klopas said with pride.
A check-in with Big Shaq
Another elephant in the room is that Shaqiri is currently entering his third season in Chicago, the last year of his current deal.
Be that as it may, the cool and confident demeanor of the Fire’s marquee man was focused on making sure he’s ready to help Chicago win games.
“I'm really happy to be in Chicago,” Shaqiri said with a smile. “I want to go for trophies, and the Club knows how to win trophies.”
He later added, “(We) have a chance to win trophies, and this needs to be the Club's goal in the near future. With the new training facility, maybe they can bring a lot of other good-quality players to reach these kinds of goals. Because I think this Club and this city is a hard-working city and it deserves some trophies. “
Shaqiri also touched on the youth movement in Chicago, acknowledging that it’s an exciting time and that the Club clearly has made strides in that department.
“It's always good that the Club works with young players and the Club showed that in the past that they brought always very good (young) players,” said Shaqiri. “I hope these guys can step up and help the team more and more to reach our goals and obviously to show themselves and maybe one day they can make another step up over to another top team.“
Since joining the Fire, the Swiss magician has been a key part of the roster. In 57 games with Chicago, he’s recorded 12 goals and 16 assists. In his first season in the Windy City, he was awarded Team MVP honors after his 11 assists were tied with Cuauhtémoc Blanco for second-most in a single season since 2008.
By this point, Shaqiri is no stranger to the parity of MLS.
It’s clear to the two-time Champions League winner that to find success in the U.S., one needs to be consistent.
“In a good day, you can win, and in a bad day, you can lose every game.” said Shaqiri. “You need to be focused and really consistent. [You need] good performances if you want to be really on the top. So, let's see, let's work hard now together and let's see how far we can go.”
Chris is back and ready to go
Chris Mueller rounded out the media availability reaffirming that is healthy and ready to get back on the pitch.
“I was cleared a few months ago,” Mueller confirmed to the media. “Maybe a month or two ago and have been training really hard over the off-season. (I) didn’t really have much of an off-season to be honest. It was a lot of me just trying to get back into top shape to get as much of my physique back as possible.”
The 27-year-old Schaumburg native underwent successful hip surgery early in the 2023 season. After a lengthy rehab, Mueller is excited to compete once again.
The team looks a little different since his last appearance with the Fire.
One of the additions is that of his former college teammate, forward Tom Barlow, who joined the Fire during the offseason and played alongside Mueller at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“I have a good connection with Tom, we obviously played four years together.” Mueller said. “He works tremendously hard. He has a lot of physical abilities where he's strong, he's really fast and he can get in behind, and that was one of the things I loved about what I was playing with him.”
That connection will certainly come into play once these two make their way onto the pitch together for the first time since their college days.
He believes that the Fire are close to building a strong team, and he believes this year will be a step in the right direction.
“If you look back even when we played best teams in the League, I always felt like we were in games,” Mueller said. “We competed hard, and like I said it's just about taking those final details to the next level because I think that that will make all the difference for us. “
The Fire’s preparation for the 2024 season is currently underway, with the team currently holding the first half of its preseason training camp in Bradenton, Fla., before traveling to California from Feb. 15-17 to participate in the Coachella Valley Invitational.
