Seeking an end to a run of non-playoff seasons, the Chicago Fire opened the checkbook and turned their focus on a consistent champion of multiple European leagues.
After missing the postseason for the 10th time in 12 seasons, the Fire are anticipating big things from Xherdan Shaqiri, who makes his debut Saturday night against Inter Miami CF in the season opener at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Coming off a 34-point season where their 36 goals matched the second-fewest in the MLS, the Fire paid a team-record $7.5 million transfer fee to import Shaqiri as their designated player and are hoping to end a dubious streak of 12 straight winless season openers (0-8-4).
“I’m looking forward to working with this club to bring glory back to Chicago,” Shaqiri said. “My goal is clear: I want trophies.”
Shaqiri is joining the Fire and new coach Ezra Hendrickson after a disappointing 11-game stint with Lyon of Ligue 1 in France but brings some significant championship experience to a team that last won a playoff game in 2009.
He won three league titles with Basel in Switzerland and then won the Champions League and three Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich. He then joined Liverpool and won another Champions League title along with the Premier League title.
“In football, a player like Shaq is what we call a special player, a player with the ability to change the game in a second,” Hendrickson said. “It’s very good to have a player like that on the pitch. I’m very excited to have the opportunity to coach someone with this talent.”
Inter Miami CF are entering their third season after their 41 points were seven away from the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference in 2021.
Like the Fire, Miami also scored 36 goals and is hoping several of its offseason moves pay off. Among them are veteran defender DeAndre Yedlin and midfielder Jean Mota, who will join forces with Gonzalo Higuain, who scored 12 goals and added nine assists in 30 matches last season.
“We said we wanted to get hungrier, younger, faster, more dynamic as a team, and we feel that with the moves we’ve made, we’re on our way,” sporting director Chris Henderson said. “Every move we make is made with the intention of improving our chances to achieve our objectives.”
The teams split their meetings last season with the home team winning both. Chicago claimed a 1-0 win on May 22 and Inter Miami rallied for a 3-2 win on Aug. 18.
–Field Level Media
