On Thursday, the Chicago Fire took the first step forward in ending a seven-season streak of missing the playoffs when former United States Men’s National Team manager Gregg Berhalter was unveiled as their new director of football and head coach. Berhalter has already started figuring out what he wants the roster to look like next year, as MLS has one of the shortest offseasons in sports.
Securing Berhalter has been a process that has been underway since August, when current sporting director Georg Heitz announced his intention to go to Europe and the process led to Berhalter. Initially, the director of football wasn’t supposed to be the head coach, but when Berhalter expressed a desire to do both, the Fire changed their trajectory a bit.
“When we met Gregg, he expressed a desire to do both, sporting head and head coach. Although that was not initially our intention, because of who Gregg is and he had succeeded in this dual role before, we were confident that this would happen.” working under Gregg’s leadership,” said Chicago Fire owner and chairman Joe Mansueto.
“From my perspective, what I wanted to do, what I’m trying to do, is create an environment where people can do their best work. And if he can do his best work as director of football and head coach, there’s a seamless connection,” Mansueto continued. “I think it’s fine, and he’ll build an organization under him to take the load off things. Obviously you can’t have two full-time jobs, but he will build an organization around him, and I have every confidence he can do that.”
The fact is, decision-making is an area where the Fire has fallen short in recent seasons, and Berhalter could be the person to help turn that around if everything comes from a single source. Youth development has been a hallmark of the Fire organization, with Jhon Duran, Djordje Mihailovic and Gaga Slonina all spending time in the system, but when it came time to expand the roster with stars to help the team to reach the next level, there has been a disconnect.
Berhalter will have to bridge that gap and take the steps to turn this organization around. A new training facility and plans to find a soccer-specific stadium in Chicago will make that easier, but when push comes to shove, Berhalter will have to sell his vision. Not just to players, but he’ll have to sell it to the staff as he begins to build out the front office and coaching staff around him. Having coached at the highest level of American soccer and having already spent time as a head coach in the front office of the Columbus Crew, he has experience that will help move this team in the right direction, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy.
Berhalter has already started working and says he is enthusiastic about the possibilities that the Fire offers. However, don’t expect this to be the same as how the former USMNT manager managed the Columbus Crew.
“I learned a lot of lessons from my days in Columbus working from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. every day for five years. It aged me. That’s why I don’t have as much hair as I used to. Guys, you can go back and looking at the pictures to prove it,” Berhalter said of what he learned while working in Columbus “In all seriousness, I realized I needed help, and part of the coordination part with Joe was, OK, we want this executive leadership team. creating a team that takes on a number of responsibilities, whether it’s player transfers, player negotiations, so it’s really about creating a team around us that we can all push in the same direction to be successful for the club.”
By trying to do too much, these dual roles can become a trap for managers, as both roles require an enormous amount of work. Balance is key and Berhalter will have to use staff he trusts to delegate responsibilities. Part of Berhalter’s reasoning for taking on this role is that it has worked for him and his family, so balancing the two will be key.
“Yes, you keep everything in it. This was a moment when I chose my family. As a player you are selfish. You always go for the best opportunity, and you move, and you move, and you move,” Berhalter said about some of the factors behind his decision. Then you get a coaching job, and you move, and you move your family. This was a moment where I said: this opportunity is so good, there is so much potential in this club and my family becomes stable .”
“They end up in one place. My daughter gets to graduate from high school. She’s in high school now. That was a big part of the decision. Europe has always been an ambition of mine, and it’s not binary,” he continued. “The fact that I came here does not mean that there will never be an opportunity in Europe, but right now this is the best opportunity for me and my family.”
All things considered, it makes perfect sense why this would be Berhalter’s next move after leaving the USMNT. He has the ability to make broad decisions that will help shape the future of American soccer. It’s a dream move for a detail-oriented coach like Berhalter, but now the work begins to ensure the Fire are a playoff team next season.