Chicago fire's on all cyclinders

While the Chicago Fire’s dramatic playoff run came as a surprise to many who watched them suffer early on, one fan who was never in doubt was Luis Arrovaye. As a native Colombian and long time Fire fan, writing about the beautiful game always came naturally to Arrovaye. But few could have predicted a better result than the opportunity to cover the team for a major Chicago paper.

Humbled and excited by the challenge, Arrovaye now spends most of his time living the dream: writing, blogging about and interviewing soccer’s major players. But one subject which remains close to his heart (and pen) remain his Chicago Fire.

One of only four teams in the league to utilize it’s designated player spot, the turning point in Chicago’s success both on and off the field was undoubtedly the acquisition of Blanco. But as opposed to the upheaval on the west coast, Arrovaye says Chicago’s late playoff surge benefited from a stable core which had long been established.

“I don't think Chicago's run affected the Galaxy's playoff ambitions, but maybe the Fire was a good example for the Galaxy,” he speculated when comparing the DP situation of each team. “The Galaxy didn't need a role model to motivate itself. It just needed its players to start clicking.”

After racking up four goals, seven assists, the only thing more explosive than Blanco’s play were his the field antics. But while adamant Blanco remains a star and entertainer of the highest caliber, Arrovaye remains convinced his significance off the field was a larger consideration.

“I think Blanco's signing was largely based on marketing—especially giving the large Mexican population in Chicago.,” he said. “With so many sports stars in Chicago, the Fire wanted to have its own big name player that would draw media attention and increase attendance.”

Rather than targeting Blanco specifically for the Fire, Arrovaye says he was informed by two separate Fire sources that AEG had its sights set on Blanco before the season and was going to do all it could to bring him to one of their teams.

But as opposed to AEG’s “hands off” approach, he feels the Fire's new owners (Andell Holdings) will likely be more hands on—in terms of both player decisions and off the field marketing.

“AEG owned three teams and put most of its focus on the Galaxy," said Arrovaye. "It's possible the new owners will want to make a splash right away with a big name signing, but it's still too early to tell what their approach.”

While it is too early to speculate on who may be signed, with more money available, teams are now paying closer attention to players overseas.

After coaching in England and Colombia, Coach Osorio has already called upon his scouting connections to land Colombian defender William Conde from his former club Millionarios. An integral performer in Chicago’s late season run, Conde was acquired for around $300,000 and proved the perfect example of improved scouting in MLS.

But despite the payoff of the Blanco and Conde, Arrovaye is quick to acknowledge the calculated risk coaches take in investing in a designated player.

Last year alone, the Fire got rid of its two leading scorers and its highest paid player. “When I asked Fire GM John Guppy if the team would use the designated player spot, he said the roster decisions were meant to make room for one.” he adds.

Expecting the single entity structure to endure for “at least few more years”, Arrovaye says the next step for Osorio and the Fire staff will scouting be the college ranks to search for new talent.

We try to go by collegiate conferences that are important, that have a lot of college seniors.” said Fire assistant Denis Hamlet in an interview with MLSNet.com. “ I went to the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), Juan [Osorio] went to the Big East, and Daryl [Shore] went down to the Conference USA.“

But rather than scouting only college seniors, Hamlet says the Fire have focused on following kids over a number of two to three years to identify how they will fit in to the team. he explained. “Foremost, you have to see if physically and mentally the kid can make the next step. he explained. “Once you establish that, you start to doing the background check to find out about the character of the player.”

Already setting his site’s on the MLS combine, Hamlet says final decisions on position will be made after watching college players against better competition.

“In a perfect SuperDraft you get three players that stick on the roster for the following year, and in that respect we've done pretty well. he concludes. “We have a number of international positions to work with, but it still comes down to the salary cap as far as if it's possible to get them all involved in there.”