Can ex-USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter save 'sleeping giant' Chicago in MLS?

Chicago's first 10 seasons in MLS are the stuff of legend in the American soccer world. The club won a rare domestic double — the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup — in its debut season in 1998, then spent the next 10 years setting the pace for U.S. soccer. It won the Eastern Conference three times and became a fixture in the MLS playoffs, making it to the MLS Cup final twice.

From there, though, things took a turn downward for the Fire, which hasn't had a winning season since 2017. Saddled with a poor stadium and front-office drama, the club fell into a tailspin. It has only qualified for the playoffs once since 2012 and took home the league's odious Wooden Spoon in 2015 and 2016. Chicago finished the 2024 MLS season as the worst team in the Eastern Conference, winning seven of 34 games and posting a goal differential of -22.

These days, Chicago is not just a sleeping giant — it's a narcoleptic one.

But signs point to Berhalter being the man to reverse the Fire's fortunes. The 51-year-old coach has strong backing from owner Joe Mansueto. Plus, a series major organizational moves should set him up for success.

Here's what Berhalter has working in his favor as he leads the Fire into 2025:

A unique mixed role: Berhalter will manage the first team and oversee Chicago's scouting efforts and player academy.

This is something of an anomaly in MLS, as the league's clubs tend to prefer hiring specialists for each player pipeline. But for Chicago, a team dogged by siloed leadership in the past, putting all player decisions under Berhalter's control could be incredibly beneficial. It will lead to less drama, less negotiating and less blame-shifting as the 2025 season develops.

It's worth pointing out that for all its on-field sins, Chicago's scouting and player development have always been top-notch. The team found Jhon Duran, Aston Villa's super-sub striker, in Colombia in 2021. 

It's also responsible for nurturing two of the U. S. Men's National Team's more exciting youth prospects: winger Djordje Mihailovic, who plays for the Colorado Rapids, and goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina, who plays for Barnsley in the English Football League. Berhalter is inheriting strong player pipelines, and his hybrid role puts him in a perfect position to take advantage of them.

The Endeavor Health Performance Center: Chicago is months away from opening a new training center that is ambitious enough to attract junior and senior players from around the world. The Endeavor Health Performance Center in Chicago's Near West Side will be one of the best training and recovery facilities in the country when it opens in 2025.

 Don't underestimate the value in the MLS of top-notch physical and medical care. It's a massive selling point for players, particularly those who are wary of the league's daunting travel. 

"I’ve already done 20 hours of flight in a month," said LAFC striker Olivier Giroud after his first four weeks in MLS. "So it’s important to be even more professional in your recovery, sleeping well, eating well and doing the treatments you need to be fit.”

With its new performance center, Chicago is primed to deliver that level of professionalism.

Clever recruiting: Berhalter is already making waves with his signings. On Monday, he brought in Philadelphia Union legend Jack Elliott on a one-year deal with an option for extension.

Elliott, a proven MLS defender with 270 games' experience, is a fantastic signing for Berhalter — and an economical one, too. The 29-year-old arrived in Chicago as a free agent, so he'll strengthen Chicago's defense while freeing up cash reserves for additional signings in the future — a double win for Berhalter and his training staff.

The 2025 MLS season will begin February. The league schedule will be released Thursday.