A clean sheet earned. A point away from home. A rock-solid 90-minute performance.
All were positive takeaways from Rafael Czichos’ widely-lauded Fire and Major League Soccer debut, but none were consolations for the 31-year-old defender following the team’s 0-0 draw at Inter Miami on Saturday night.
“Normally we should be happy about the point,” Czichos told media following the match. “But, (I’m) a little bit disappointed. I talked to a few players already and they were also disappointed. We have to improve our game, especially our game in the second half.”
While wanting more from the result, Czichos' introduction to the league was encouraging. A veteran of 412 matches played across the German pyramid, Czichos showed that he could provide the demanding, bar-raising presence along the defensive backline that was hoped of him when acquired by the Club in January.
Those qualities as a leader are what ultimately led to him being named team captain by Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson prior to the match.
“That means a lot to me,” he said. “It's an honor for me to be captain of this team, of this association. The coach told me (Friday) after our last practice that he wants me to be the captain, and it's an honor for me.”
With the armband pulled on, Czichos delivered an outing worthy of the distinction alongside Wyatt Omsberg, Boris Sekulić, Miguel Navarro, and goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina. The steely former FC Köln stalwart was steady and composed in both his positioning and passing, and was quick to both encourage his teammates as well as hold them accountable in their defensive responsibilities.
“It's incredible,” Slonina said of Czichos postgame. “If I make a good save, he's the first one to me, and if he makes a good tackle I try to be the first one to him.”
“He's a communicator and he's a leader on the field and he's what we needed," the 17-year-old goalkeeper added. "He's a presence in the locker room and guys are comfortable around him. He's a monster on the field and he wants to win, and off the field he’s comforting. He wants to teach you and make you better. I think he's an incredible player and an amazing person to work with.”
Czichos described his first taste of MLS play as “physical and fast,” elements of the game that he’d expected entering the match. Not unlike his preferred style of play in the Bundesliga, he was encouraged by the team's ability to control the game through possession for large stretches.
Still, he was clear that they should have come away with more.
“The game today - my first day in the MLS - I think we played a really good first half, and then we lost a little bit (of) our shape, our formation the second half,” Czichos said. ‘We were too wild, too chaotic. We should have made at least one goal in the first half, and then the second half would have been much easier for us. At the end, we take one point with us to Chicago, so we have to win next week at home against Orlando.”
Czichos now has a clearer idea of where he and his teammates need to improve as they pivot towards their meeting with Orlando City on Saturday night in the team’s hotly-anticipated home opener at Soldier Field.
He's confident that his new side will deliver a strong first impression for the home fans.
“I am so excited,” he said. “Today the atmosphere was great, but we only had a few fans here, so I'm really excited to meet hopefully 30,000 people at Soldier Field next week. Every Fire fan, if you have time next week, come to Soldier Field. I think we are going to win. We are going to fight for the three points next week. We have to improve for sure to make this happen, but we have one week to work hard and that's what we are going to do.”
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. CT, with broadcast coverage available on WGN, CF97 Live, and ESPN+ for out-of-market fans.
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