# 2020 Chicago Fire FC season

The 2020 Chicago Fire FC season was the club's 22nd year of existence, as well as their 23rd in Major League Soccer. This was the Fire's first full year under the ownership of Joe Mansueto following his purchase of the club on September 13, 2019. This was also the Fire's first season back in city limits, playing in Soldier Field for the first time since 2005. The Fire faced Atlanta United FC in their first home match. The team also announced a rebrand on November 21, 2019. They became known as Chicago Fire Football Club (Chicago Fire FC) and changed their logo. The change was met with large amounts of negative reaction on social media. The Fire failed to advance out of the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament. After finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference, the team did not qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs.

## Current squad

As of March 6, 2020. Sources: Chicago Fire official roster and Official MLS Roster
| No. | Name | Position | Date of Birth (Age) | Previous Club | Player Notes |
| 1 | Bobby Shuttleworth | G | (1987-05-17) May 17, 1987 (age 37) | Sacramento Republic | |
| 2 | Boris Sekulić | D | (1991-10-21) October 21, 1991 (age 33) | Górnik Zabrze | International |
| 3 | Jonathan Bornstein | D | (1984-11-07) November 7, 1984 (age 39) | Maccabi Netanya F.C. | |
| 4 | Johan Kappelhof | D | (1990-08-05) August 5, 1990 (age 34) | FC Groningen | |
| 5 | Francisco Calvo | D | (1992-07-08) July 8, 1992 (age 32) | Minnesota United FC | |
| 6 | Miguel Navarro | D | (1999-02-26) February 26, 1999 (age 25) | Deportivo La Guaira F.C. | International |
| 7 | Ignacio Aliseda | M | (2000-03-14) March 14, 2000 (age 24) | Defensa y Justicia | International Designated Player |
| 8 | Luka Stojanović | M | (1994-01-04) January 4, 1994 (age 30)} | FK Čukarički | International |
| 9 | C. J. Sapong | F | (1988-12-27) December 27, 1988 (age 35) | Philadelphia Union | |
| 10 | Álvaro Medrán | M | (1994-03-15) March 15, 1994 (age 30) | Valencia CF | International |
| 11 | Przemysław Frankowski | M | (1995-04-12) April 12, 1995 (age 29) | Jagiellonia Białystok | International |
| 13 | Brandt Bronico | M | (1995-06-20) June 20, 1995 (age 29) | Charlotte 49ers | |
| 14 | Djordje Mihailovic | M | (1998-11-10) November 10, 1998 (age 25) | Chicago Fire Academy | Homegrown |
| 16 | Michael Azira | M | (1987-08-22) August 22, 1987 (age 37) | Montreal Impact | |
| 18 | Kenneth Kronholm | G | (1985-10-14) October 14, 1985 (age 39) | Holstein Kiel | |
| 20 | Wyatt Omsberg | D | (1995-09-21) September 21, 1995 (age 29) | Minnesota United FC | |
| 21 | Fabian Herbers | F | (1993-08-17) August 17, 1993 (age 31) | Philadelphia Union | |
| 22 | Mauricio Pineda | D/M | (1997-10-17) October 17, 1997 (age 27) | North Carolina Tar Heels | Homegrown |
| 24 | Connor Sparrow | G | (1994-05-10) May 10, 1994 (age 30) | Nashville SC | |
| 25 | Nicholas Slonina | D | (2001-03-20) March 20, 2001 (age 23) | Chicago Fire Academy | Homegrown |
| 27 | Robert Berić | F | (1991-06-17) June 17, 1991 (age 33) | AS Saint-Étienne | International Designated Player |
| 28 | Elliot Collier | F | (1995-02-22) February 22, 1995 (age 29) | Loyola Chicago | |
| 30 | Gastón Giménez | M | (1991-07-27) July 27, 1991 (age 33) | Vélez Sarsfield | International Designated Player |
| 32 | Gabriel Slonina | G | (2004-05-15) May 15, 2004 (age 20) | Chicago Fire Academy | Homegrown |
| 33 | Jeremiah Gutjahr | M | (1997-08-10) August 10, 1997 (age 27) | Indiana Hoosiers | Homegrown |
| 36 | Andre Reynolds II | D | (2001-05-02) May 2, 2001 (age 23) | Chicago Fire Academy | Homegrown |
| — | Chris Brady | G | (2004-03-03) March 3, 2004 (age 20) | Chicago Fire Academy | Homegrown |
| — | Javier Casas | M | (2003-05-14) May 14, 2003 (age 21) | Chicago Fire Academy | Homegrown |
| — | Brian Gutiérrez | M | (2003-06-17) June 17, 2003 (age 21) | Chicago Fire Academy | Homegrown |
| — | Alex Monis | F | (2003-03-20) March 20, 2003 (age 21) | Chicago Fire Academy | Homegrown |
| — | Allan Rodríguez | M | (2004-05-07) May 7, 2004 (age 20) | Chicago Fire Academy | Homegrown |

## Player movement
### In

| Date | Player | Position | Previous Club | Notes |
| October 10, 2019 | Álvaro Medrán | M | Valencia CF | Signed a TAM contract as a free agent through 2021 with options for 2022 and 2023 |
| October 14, 2019 | Michael Azira | M | Chicago Fire FC | Nelson announced that his option was exercised during a media roundtable |
| October 14, 2019 | Jeremiah Gutjahr | D/M | Chicago Fire FC | Nelson announced that his option was exercised during a media roundtable |
| October 14, 2019 | Fabian Herbers | M/F | Chicago Fire FC | Nelson announced that his option was exercised during a media roundtable |
| November 21, 2019 | Raheem Edwards | D/M | Chicago Fire FC | Option was exercised |
| November 21, 2019 | C. J. Sapong | M/F | Chicago Fire FC | Option was exercised |
| December 20, 2019 | Nicholas Slonina | D | Chicago Fire Academy | Signed as a homegrown player for the 2020 season with options through 2023 |
| January 17, 2020 | Mauricio Pineda | D/M | North Carolina Tar Heels | Signed as a homegrown player for the 2020 season with options through 2023 |
| January 18, 2020 | Robert Berić | F | AS Saint-Étienne | Signed to a designated player contract through 2021 with an option for 2022 |
| January 20, 2020 | Connor Sparrow | GK | Nashville SC | Signed for 2020 with options for 2021 and 2022 |
| January 27, 2020 | Miguel Navarro | D | Deportivo La Guaira F.C. | Transferred from Deportivo La Guaira F.C. for an undisclosed amount on a contract through 2022 with options for 2023 and 2024 |
| January 30, 2020 | Bobby Shuttleworth | GK | Sacramento Republic | Signed as a free agent to a contract through 2021 |
| February 6, 2020 | Elliot Collier | F | Chicago Fire FC | Signed after his contract was declined and after a successful trial |
| February 11, 2020 | Wyatt Omsberg | D | Minnesota United FC | Acquired from Minnesota in exchange for Raheem Edwards |
| February 15, 2020 | Boris Sekulić | D | Górnik Zabrze | Acquired from Górnik Zabrze on a contract through 2022 |
| February 19, 2020 | Ignacio Aliseda | M | Defensa y Justicia | Acquired from Defensa y Justicia as a Designated Player on a contract through 2023 |
| February 20, 2020 | Luka Stojanović | M | FK Čukarički | Acquired from FK Čukarički on a contract through 2021 with an option for 2022 |
| February 24, 2020 | Gastón Giménez | M | Vélez Sarsfield | Acquired from Velez Sarsfield as a Designated Player on a contract through 2021 with an option for 2022 |
| March 9, 2020 | Brian Gutiérrez | M | Chicago Fire Academy | Signed as a homegrown player through the 2023 season with an option for 2024 |
| March 10, 2020 | Javier Casas | M | Chicago Fire Academy | Signed as a homegrown player through the 2023 season with an option for 2024 |
| March 11, 2020 | Alex Monis | F | Chicago Fire Academy | Signed as a homegrown player through the 2023 season with an option for 2024 |
| March 24, 2020 | Chris Brady | G | Chicago Fire Academy | Signed as a homegrown player through the 2023 season with an option for 2024 |
| March 25, 2020 | Allan Rodríguez | M | Chicago Fire Academy | Signed as a homegrown player through the 2023 season with an option for 2024 |

### Out

| Date | Player | Position | Destination Club | Notes |
| October 8, 2019 | Bastian Schweinsteiger | D/M | Retired | |
| October 12, 2019 | Nemanja Nikolić | F | Fehérvár FC | Out of contract |
| November 12, 2019 | Dax McCarty | M | Nashville SC | Traded in exchange for $50k in TAM and $50k in GAM |
| November 14, 2019 | Grant Lillard | D | Inter Miami CF | Traded in exchange for $75k in GAM |
| November 21, 2019 | Diego Campos | M | FK Jerv | Option declined |
| November 21, 2019 | Stefan Cleveland | GK | Seattle Sounders FC | Option declined; rights traded to Seattle alongside Chicago's 35th overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft in exchange for Seattle's 26th overall pick |
| November 21, 2019 | Nicolás Gaitán | M | LOSC Lille | Option declined |
| November 21, 2019 | Aleksandar Katai | M/F | LA Galaxy | Option declined |
| November 21, 2019 | Cristian Martínez | M | Cádiz CF | Option declined |
| November 21, 2019 | Amando Moreno | M/F | New Mexico United | Option declined |
| November 21, 2019 | David Ousted | GK | Hammarby Fotboll | Option declined |
| November 21, 2019 | Richard Sánchez | GK | Sporting Kansas City | Option declined; picked up in Round 1 of the 2019 MLS Re-Entry Draft |
| January 14, 2020 | Marcelo | DF | F.C. Paços de Ferreira | Mutual Termination |
| February 11, 2020 | Raheem Edwards | D/M | Minnesota United FC | Traded to Minnesota in exchange for Wyatt Omsberg |

### Unsigned trialists and draftees

| Date first reported | Player | Position | Previous club | Notes |
| January 9, 2020 | Jonathan Jimenez | D/M | Pacific Tigers | Drafted with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft |
| January 27, 2020 | Jonathan Campbell | D | Seattle Sounders FC | Announced as a trialist in Florida; confirmed to have left on February 16 |
| January 27, 2020 | Nikos Kenourgios | D/F | S.V. Zulte Waregem | Announced as a trialist in Florida; confirmed to have left on February 16 |
| January 27, 2020 | Jesús Vázquez | D | Atlante F.C. | Announced as a trialist in Florida |
| February 16, 2020 | Christian Diaz | D | Forward Madison FC | Announced as a trialist on February 16 |
The Fire also had several academy players in the camp- Chris Brady (G), Javier Casas (M), Brian Gutierrez (M), Alex Monis (F), and Allan Rodriguez (M).

## Technical staff

| Position | Staff |
| General Manager | Nelson Rodríguez |
| Sporting Director | Georg Heitz |
| Technical Director | Sebastian Pelzer |
| Head Coach | Raphaël Wicky |
| Assistant Coach | Frank Klopas |
| Assistant Coach | David Zdrilic |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Adin Brown |
| Senior Director of Soccer Operations | Eddie Rock |
| Performance Coach | John Grace |
| Director of Performance | Ben Donachie |
| Strength and Conditioning Coach | Raphael Fevre |
| Massage Therapist | Steven Burrows |
| Director of Scouting | Matt Pearson |
| Video Analyst | Nenad Babic |
| Manager of Team and Soccer Operations | Alex Boler |
| Equipment Manager | Brian Sauer |
| Assistant Equipment Manager | Juan Arreola |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Reade Whitney |
| Assistant Athletic Trainer | Hillary Bell |
| Assistant Athletic Trainer | Tyler Golden |
| Chief Medical Officer | Dr. Joshua Blomgren, D.O. |
| Head Orthopedic Officer | Dr. Brian Forsythe, M.D. |
| Physical Therapist | Ryan Perry |
Last updated: January 18, 2020 Source: Chicago Fire Technical Staff

## Standings
### Eastern Conference table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
| 9 | Montreal Impact | 23 | 8 | 13 | 2 | 33 | 43 | −10 | 26 | 1.13 | Qualification for the playoffs play-in round |
| 10 | Inter Miami CF | 23 | 7 | 13 | 3 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 24 | 1.04 | Qualification for the playoffs play-in round |
| 11 | Chicago Fire FC | 23 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 23 | 1.00 | |
| 12 | Atlanta United FC | 23 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 22 | 0.96 | Qualification for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 13 | D.C. United | 23 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 25 | 41 | −16 | 21 | 0.91 | |
* ↑ Canadian clubs could not qualify for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League through the MLS regular season or playoffs.
* ↑ As 2019 U.S. Open Cup champions

### Overall table

2020 MLS overall standings :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
| 20 | LA Galaxy | 22 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 27 | 46 | −19 | 22 | 1.00 | |
| 21 | Real Salt Lake | 22 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 25 | 35 | −10 | 22 | 1.00 | |
| 22 | Chicago Fire FC | 23 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 23 | 1.00 | |
| 23 | Atlanta United FC (U) | 23 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 22 | 0.96 | 2021 CONCACAF Champions League |
| 24 | D.C. United | 23 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 25 | 41 | −16 | 21 | 0.91 | |
* ↑ As 2019 U.S. Open Cup champions (USA4)

#### MLS is Back – group stage

Group B results :
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | San Jose Earthquakes | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 3 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 3 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 4 | Chicago Fire | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 3 | |

## Match results

Win  Tie  Loss

### Major League Soccer

Due to changes in the schedule, this will be the first season where the Fire don't face every club in the league (three clubs in the Western Conference). They did not compete against Real Salt Lake. Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)

### Open Cup

Kickoff times are in CST (UTC-06)

## Squad statistics
### Games played

| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | MLS | MLS | MLS | Open Cup | Open Cup | Open Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Starts | Apps | Minutes | Starts | Apps | Minutes | Starts | Apps | Minutes |
| 1 | GK | USA | Bobby Shuttleworth | | | | | | | | | |
| 2 | DF | SVK | Boris Sekulić | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | DF | USA | Jonathan Bornstein | 1 | 1 | 90 | | | | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| 4 | DF | NED | Johan Kappelhof | 1 | 1 | 90 | | | | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| 5 | DF | CRC | Francisco Calvo | 1 | 1 | 90 | | | | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| 6 | D | VEN | Miguel Navarro | | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | MF | ARG | Ignacio Aliseda | | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | MF | SER | Luka Stojanović | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | FW | USA | C. J. Sapong | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | MF | ESP | Álvaro Medrán | 1 | 1 | 90 | | | | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| 11 | MF | POL | Przemysław Frankowski | 1 | 1 | 90 | | | | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| 13 | MF | USA | Brandt Bronico | 1 | 1 | 90 | | | | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| 14 | MF | USA | Djordje Mihailovic | 1 | 1 | 70 | | | | 1 | 1 | 70 |
| 16 | MF | UGA | Michael Azira | | 1 | 9 | | | | | 1 | 9 |
| 18 | GK | USA | Kenneth Kronholm | 1 | 1 | 90 | | | | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| 20 | DF | USA | Wyatt Omsberg | | | | | | | | | |
| 21 | FW | GER | Fabian Herbers | 1 | 1 | 81 | | | | 1 | 1 | 81 |
| 22 | DF/MF | USA | Mauricio Pineda | 1 | 1 | 90 | | | | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| 24 | GK | USA | Connor Sparrow | | | | | | | | | |
| 25 | DF | USA | Nicholas Slonina | | | | | | | | | |
| 28 | FW | NZL | Elliot Collier | | 1 | 20 | | | | | 1 | 20 |
| 27 | FW | SVN | Robert Berić | 1 | 1 | 90 | | | | 1 | 1 | 90 |
| 30 | MF | ARG | Gastón Giménez | | | | | | | | | |
| 32 | GK | USA | Gabriel Slonina | | | | | | | | | |
| 33 | MF | USA | Jeremiah Gutjahr | | | | | | | | | |
| 36 | DF | USA | Andre Reynolds III | | | | | | | | | |
| — | GK | USA | Chris Brady | | | | | | | | | |
| — | MF | USA | Javier Casas | | | | | | | | | |
| — | MF | USA | Brian Gutiérrez | | | | | | | | | |
| — | FW | USA | Alex Monis | | | | | | | | | |
| — | MF | USA | Allan Rodríguez | | | | | | | | | |

### Goalkeeping statistics

| No. | Nat. | Name | MLS | MLS | MLS | Open Cup | Open Cup | Open Cup | Total | Total | Total |
| No. | Nat. | Name | Clean sheets | Saves | GA | Clean sheets | Saves | GA | Clean sheets | Saves | GA |
| 1 | USA | Bobby Shuttleworth | | | | | | | | | |
| 18 | USA | Kenneth Kronholm | | 4 | 2 | | | | | 4 | 2 |
| 24 | USA | Connor Sparrow | | | | | | | | | |
| 32 | USA | Gabriel Slonina | | | | | | | | | |
| — | USA | Chris Brady | | | | | | | | | |

### Goalscoring and assisting record

| Rank | Player | A |
| Rank | Player | A |
| Rank | Player | | A |
| 1 | Robert Berić | 1 | |

### Cards

| Rank | Player | | Matches Missed |
| 1 | Fabian Herbers | 1 | |
| Rank | Player | Matches Missed |
| Rank | Player | Matches Missed |
Note: Italics indicates a player who left during the season

## Player awards
### Fire awards

Man of the Match awards
| Game # | Player | Position | Notable Statistics |
| 1 | Robert Berić | FW | 1 G |
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Note: Italics indicates player left after his first call up

## National team call-ups

Costa Rica Francisco Calvo
* 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A Match vs Haiti, October 10
* 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A Match vs Curaçao, October 13
* 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A Match vs Haiti, November 14
* 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A Match vs Curaçao, November 17
New Zealand Elliot Collier
* Friendly vs Republic of Ireland, November 14
* Friendly vs Lithuania, November 17
Panama Cristian Martínez
* 2019–20 CONCACAF Nations League A Match vs Mexico, November 15
* Friendly vs Bolivia, November 19
Poland Przemysław Frankowski
* Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Latvia, October 10
* Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs North Macedonia, October 13
* Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Israel, November 16
* Euro 2020 Qualifying Match vs Slovenia, November 19
Uganda Michael Azira
* 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group B Match vs Burkina Faso, November 13
* 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group B Match vs Malawi, November 17
United States U-23 Team Djordje Mihailovic
* Friendly vs El Salvador, October 15
* United International Football Festival Semifinal Match vs Brazil, November 14
* United International Football Festival Third Place Match or Final vs United Gran Canaria, November 17
U-20 Team Andre Reynolds II
* Friendly vs Mexico U-20, January 16
* Friendly vs Mexico U-20, January 18
U-17 Team Gabriel Slonina
* UEFA Development Tournament match vs Spain, February 19
* UEFA Development Tournament match vs England, February 21
* UEFA Development Tournament match vs Denmark, February 24
U-16 Team Gabriel Slonina
* 2019 NIKE International Friendly vs Netherlands, November 14
* 2019 NIKE International Friendly vs US U-17, November 16
* 2019 NIKE International Friendly vs Turkey, November 18
Note: Italics indicates player left after his first call up