Chicago Fire Notebook: Chris Brady on Club's Slow Start, Frank Klopas, and More

A single point from the available nine to begin the season is anything but an ideal start for the Chicago Fire.

After a 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Union to open 2024, the Fire have dropped two straight and are still seeking their first win as a club since their 4-1 victory over an Inter Miami side sans Lionel Messi last October.

When speaking to the media on Wednesday, goalkeeper Chris Brady spoke about the club using the frustrations that have arisen productively as Chicago prepares to host Montreal.

“After each game, it's a little bit of frustration, as you can imagine, and I'm sure as some fans are feeling, as well that scores haven't gone our way,” said Brady over Zoom. “But that frustration, like I said, quickly turns into motivation when we get right back into the work week.

“Looking forward to Montréal, we're quite eager to get back out there and reclaim three points on our home turf. So yeah, it's definitely replaced with motivation pretty quickly. I know, like I said, everybody is eager and everybody is anxious to get back out on the field and prove what we should have proved these last three games, which is that we're a team that gets three points every game.”

Brady has made 15 saves on 21 shots faced to open the season while navigating different backline groups in front of him in each match. The 20-year-old goalkeeper says this new group has re-emphasized his need to be vocal in net in 2024.

“They are very big on communication. So they are open to listening to things, and they are very clear if they need to tell me something that they would like to change.

“Obviously, communication is a big component of the game. It helps having defenders in front of you who are willing to talk with you rather than talk at you or not listen.

“So I mean, yeah, like you said with [Tobias Salquist], Mauricio [Pineda], Allan [Arigoni], [Andrew] Gutman, Chase [Gasper], Wyatt [Omsberg], [Rafael Czichos[, whoever is in there, I know that they are, one, going to give a hundred percent, and two, they are very clear in the way they want to do things. They are very communicative, and they are social about how they feel, which is something I appreciate. Because a lot of times you get defenders who are kind of quiet, it doesn't help that you don't know how they feel about certain things. That's not something I have to worry about. It just makes my job a little bit easier.”

Frank Klopas Remains Optimistic

The Fire’s head coach held his weekly media availability and said that the club’s training sessions give him hope despite the slow start to the MLS season.

“Training is an area where we look to get better, and we push the guys,” said Klopas over Zoom. “I think the attitude every day has been really good. Training sessions have been really sharp. I think that's why we've been really competitive in all the matches.

“I think we don't have the points to show, in my opinion, the way the team has performed on the field. But that part, as far as the training, the mentality, the attitude of the group, has been excellent, and I think that's what's prepared us really well for every match.”

Fire II

The Fire’s MLS Next Pro side begins the 2024 season on Sunday against FC Cincinnati 2 at Northern Kentucky University.

After being courted by CF Montreal in the offseason, head coach Ludovic Taillandier is back alongside assistant coach Patrick Nyarko. CFII will feature the likes of Omari Glasgow and Harold Osorio with the expectation that the Fire’s first-round draft pick Bryan Dowd will be the goalkeeper for most of the MLS Next Pro Season.

U.S. Open Cup

The Fire’s reserves will face off against amateur side Chicago City SC in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Chicago announced Wednesday that tickets and parking are free for the match, which kicks off at 7 PM CT on March 20.

Look, everyone other than Major League Soccer’s executive branch is upset about the rule changes for the 2024 Open Cup. There’s no way around it. Regardless of your opinions about a certain former Chicago Fire executive ruining America’s greatest men’s soccer tournament, you should attend the match if you can.

It’s a Chicago Derby. It’s free. It sounds like you may even get a paper ticket upon entrance (a rarity in 2024!). Support the kids on Wednesday and remind everyone at MLS that this tournament matters.

International Call-Ups

Fire captain Xherdan Shaqiri has been called into Switzerland’s squad for the upcoming international break. Switzerland will face off against Denmark on March 23 before playing Ireland on March 26.

Leagues Cup

The Fire’s 2024 Leagues Cup Group Stage fixture dates, times, and locations were announced on Thursday. Chicago will travel to Sporting Kansas City on July 28 before hosting Liga MX’s Toluca on Aug. 1 at SeatGeek Stadium.

What’s On Tap Next?

The Fire host CF Montreal at Soldier Field on March 16. The match is scheduled to kick off at 1 PM CT and will air for free on Apple TV (as is every MLS match this weekend).