ESPN

A weekend off gave Chicago a chance to regroup. Manager Frank Klopas will be hoping that a visit from the New York Red Bulls will cure what is ailing his team.

Read ESPN's MLS Power Rankings: Week 5

Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman discuss the Fire's loss to the Dynamo and look forward to next season.

BRIDGEVILLE, Ill. -- Frank Klopas had two options when the Chicago Fire began the 2011 season with a 1-4-6 record.

One, Klopas could have resigned. The team was coached by Carlos de los Cobos, but a bulk of the roster was assembled by Klopas, who was hired as the team’s technical director in January of 2008. He also bore responsibility for the Fire’s lack of success.

The other option was for him to fire de los Cobos and take over the coaching duties himself. If he truly believed in the players, Klopas would prove the Fire were better than what they had proven under de los Cobos.

Staying true to his personality, Klopas chose the latter. He’s never shied away from a soccer challenge.

“Some guys really don’t want to step up and take (penalty kicks,)” Klopas said after practice on Tuesday. “I always wanted to take them. Every situation is an opportunity. You can’t look at the worst-case scenario. You won’t go anywhere like that. I’d rather attempt it and miss than never go out there and never take the chance.”

When it came to coaching, Klopas took the chance and the Fire have been rewarded for it. In 2011, Klopas became the interim head coach, and the Fire just missed the playoffs by three points. In 2012 as the permanent coach, Klopas directed the Fire to the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and they will host the Houston Dynamo at Toyota Park on Wednesday.

(Read full post)

When Chicago Fire manager Frank Klopas kept adding attacking pieces to his roster, you wondered if it would hurt team chemistry. Not so, as Sherjill MacDonald, Alex, and Alvaro Fernandez all found the net in a 3-1 win over Montreal.

Check out the complete Power Rankings here.

Frank Klopas and Logan Pause are ready to kick off Chicago's season against Montreal.

ESPN's Taylor Twellman discusses what the Chicago Fire need to do to improve in the 2012 season.

Daniel Paladini scored in the 49th minute to give the Chicago Fire a 1-0 preseason victory over Chivas USA on Saturday afternoon at the Oxnard College Soccer Complex in Oxnard, Calif.

Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson got his first preseason action, playing the first 45 minutes as coach Frank Klopas played a different group in each half. Johnson rejoined the team this week after participating in a month-long U.S. Men’s National Team training camp.

The Fire return to preseason action on Wednesday against the Portland Timbers.

The Chicago Fire got a first look at their talent on Sunday, opening the preseason with a 0-0 draw against D.C. United at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Fire head coach Frank Klopas played 33 of the 36 players on the club's preseason roster, including 10 returning players.

Supplemental draft pick Carl Woszczynski started in goal in the first of nine preseason matches.

The Fire threatened in the 60th minute when new forward Kheli Dube laid the ball off for Lucky Mkosana. The second-round draft pick drilled a shot on goal, but D.C. United goalkeeper Joe Willis made the save.

CHICAGO -- Mike Matkovich and Leo Percovich will return to the Chicago Fire as assistant coaches for the 2012 season, the team announced on Friday. The two full-time assistant coaches will serve under Frank Klopas, who was named head coach on Nov. 3.

Matkovich, 49, previously served as a Fire assistant coach from 2009-10, but spent 2011 as the director of coaching for the Chicago Fire Juniors-South and as an assistant coach for the team’s Academy sides. Hailing from Frankfort, Ill., Matkovich’s first job with the Fire was as head coach of the Chicago Fire PDL from 2002-06. He held assistant coaching positions with Toronto FC in 2007 and with Percovich at Chivas USA in 2008.

For Percovich, 43, this will be his second season as an assistant coach with the Fire.

A native of Montevideo, Uruguay, Percovich is a former Copa Libertadores and Uruguayan First Division champion who joined Toronto FC as an assistant coach in 2009, after serving as a goalkeeper coach with the Colorado Rapids and Chivas USA.

Klopas, the team’s first technical director from 2008-2011, was appointed interim head coach in late May after a 1-4-6 start led to the firing of coach Carlos de los Cobos. The Fire finished the season 8-5-10 under Klopas, narrowly missing the playoffs.

The Fire open the season Mar. 17 in Montreal and will host the Philadelphia Union at Toyota Park in their home opener on Mar. 24.

Chicago Fire midfielder Logan Pause has extended his contract through 2013, the team announced Tuesday. Terms of his extension were not disclosed.

Pause has been with the Fire since the team selected him in the third round of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft out of North Carolina. He made his 200th MLS appearance with the Fire during the team's 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City on March 26. Pause is second only to retired defender C.J. Brown (296) with 227 career league games for the Fire.

"Logan has been a valuable asset to this club for a decade now," Fire head coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. "Logan is a great leader for our younger players on the field and in the locker room, and personifies our tenets of tradition, honor and passion."

The 30-year-old defensive midfielder started in 28 of 29 games played this past season, logging a career-high 2,514 minutes during the 34-game campaign. It was Pause's first season as Fire captain, taking over the armband previously worn by Brown.

"He knows what it means to put that Fire jersey on, for sure," Klopas said earlier this offseason. "He leads by example more than anything. I think when you have a captain like that, everyone else on the team emulates their captain and what he puts into every day. You can't deny how much he cares about the club and how professional he is. I think he did a fantastic job."

Klopas did not state definitively as to whether Pause will continue to maintain the captain role, simply saying that "he's been a great captain for the team and a great leader. What else do you look for when you appoint a captain?"

Pause has contributed two goals and 11 assists for the Fire in nine seasons. He also has six international caps with the U.S. National Team, participating on the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup squad that was the runner-up to Mexico.

The Chicago Fire purchased the rights to 20-year-old forward Orr Barouch from Mexican club Tigres UANL, the team announced Monday.

Barouch was a key second-half sub for the Fire during the 2011 season, appearing in 28 games but logging only 624 minutes. Barouch contributed two goals and two assists, but he had numerous shots that hit the goal frame last season.

"Orr is a talented, hardworking striker that played a significant role for us last season," Fire head coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. "He embodies the type of player we're looking for and is someone that we see enormous potential for in the future."

The Haifa, Israel, native joined the Fire in March of 2011, on loan from Tigres. He chipped in with three goals during the 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup competition.

Barouch debuted for Israel's U-21 national team earlier this year.

Fire acquire Nolly from Vancouver: The Fire traded a first-round selection in the 2013 Supplemental Draft to the Vancouver Whitecaps for goalkeeper Jay Nolly.

Nolly, a two-time national champion for Indiana University in 2003 and 2004, was last season's backup to Whitecaps starting goalkeeper Joe Cannon. Nolly posted a 2-6-6 record with two shutouts and 39 saves in 2011. The Whitecaps were last in the Western Conference with a 6-18-10 record and 28 points during the team's expansion season.

Chicago had entered Monday's MLS Re-Entry Draft with only one goalkeeper on its roster -- starter Sean Johnson, who is training alongside U.S. National Team starting goalkeeper Tim Howard and Everton this week.

The selection that the Fire traded to Vancouver is part of a supplemental draft that takes place several days after the MLS SuperDraft. The upcoming MLS SuperDraft runs on Jan. 17, 2012, and is reduced to only two rounds and 38 selections.

Fire bypass re-entry draft's first stage: Only three selections were made in Monday's first leg of the MLS Re-Entry Draft, and Chicago did not participate. The New England Revolution picked defender Danleigh Borman, followed by Chivas USA picking midfielder/forward Arturo Alvarez and the Columbus Crew selecting defender Carlos Mendes.

The second leg of the re-entry draft takes place on Dec. 12.

Chicago Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson has noted in the past that he relates closely with Tim Howard's style of play in the goal.

Now Johnson will train alongside the U.S. National Team and Everton goalkeeper.

The Fire announced on their official site Thursday that Johnson is taking part in a week-long training session at Everton's Finch Farm training ground starting this Sunday and running through Dec. 10.

"For a young goalkeeper like Sean, it's great that he's continuing to train and develop in the offseason," Fire head coach Frank Klopas said. "He'll be in a different environment where he can learn from a talented 'keeper in Tim Howard and go up against Premier League players. It benefits us as much as it does for him to have that experience."

The Fire said that schedule concerns prevented Johnson from training with Manchester United, which was noted as a possibility among various reports about a month ago.

The 22-year-old Johnson is coming off his second season with the Fire. He posted a 9-7-12 record with seven shutouts and 76 saves in 2011.

Johnson was selected by the Fire in the fourth round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft and he was thrust into a starting role for Chicago in the second half of his rookie season.

Johnson currently is the only goalkeeper on the Fire's roster as the team made Jon Conway and Alec Dufty available for the upcoming MLS Re-Entry Draft.

In the coming weeks, the Chicago Fire should be announcing an abundance of player options that they are picking up heading into 2012. The Fire have yet to officially state the return of midfielder Pavel Pardo or comment on other players' contract status, but in all likelihood a large portion of the 2011 squad should be on board next season.

"We're still going through that and evaluating the whole season," Fire head coach Frank Klopas said Tuesday. "We've worked very hard to bring a lot of players and feel good with the base that we've built."

So pending the formality of the team announcing the return of much of its roster, Klopas is focused on an overseas trip to find potential talent to fill in some gaps and build off the momentum that Chicago had in the latter half of the previous season.

"We're way ahead of where we were last year as an organization," Klopas said. "We've worked hard to build relationships and find the kinds of players who fit in here financially and with the characteristics of this league."

Klopas departs on a two-week scouting trek starting this Saturday. Klopas said that he's bound for Switzerland, Germany and Spain, where he will meet with Atletico Madrid.

"I'm going to spend some time with them and look for some options," Klopas said. "This trip, I'm looking at a forward and also some midfield players."

As far as the attacking side, Klopas said he is looking for a versatile and mobile option that would complement Dominic Oduro's speed up top.

"We're looking at someone who can play with depth and into space," Klopas said. "We don't want someone that's going to be in the box only. We want some mobility -- someone who is good with his feet."

Back in September, the Fire announced a strategic partnership with Atletico Madrid, Sport Club Internacional and Club America. The Fire have had close ties with Club America already, but now Chicago hopes to see the scope of player options expand a bit with this partnership.

"With America we've had an ongoing relationship that's been a good one," Klopas said. "It was a situation where we followed Pavel [Pardo] when he was there. Now we have opportunities to do more things. The Madrid partnership is one that we started and look to continue to grow. I'll spend some time there with their staff, watch the first team and some of their younger players and evaluate them. It's important to spent time with the people and it's also important for them to better understand our league."

Husidic, backup GKs' options not picked up: The Fire announced Tuesday that they are not picking up the options toward midfielder Baggio Husidic and backup goalkeepers Jon Conway and Alec Dufty. All three players will be available in the MLS Re-Entry Draft on Dec. 5 and 12. Husidic, who locally played for Libertyville High School and then the University of Illinois-Chicago, was coming off his third season with the Fire.

"It's never an easy decision," Klopas said. "At the end of the day you want to be in a position to win and improve the team. Last year we worked very hard to create a good base to build on, and unfortunately you have to make some tough decisions."

With the absence of their two backup goalkeepers, clearly there is a focus on filling that void to find some able bodies and experience behind regular starter Sean Johnson. With Conway and Dufty included, there are nine goalkeepers in the re-entry draft.

"There will be opportunities in the re-entry draft to look at some good goalkeepers, for sure," Klopas said. "So we're looking into that. We want to get someone who brings experience. Sean is someone who is young but is maturing over time."

Chicago has the eighth pick among the 19 teams in the re-entry draft.

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire capped off their final training session on Thursday, and now the focus squarely shifts toward head coach Frank Klopas' club making the necessary moves to improve their fate for 2012.

The Fire, who posted a 9-9-16 record and put together a winning record in the final third of the season, anticipate that a bulk of this year's team will be retained for next season. That would be a big change of pace considering how hectic the player movement was after the 2010 campaign.

"We did a lot of that last year," Klopas said of the previous personnel changes. "Obviously we have to look to get better. With the expansion draft (Nov. 23, Montreal Impact) there's a possibility that you might lose a player there. Like any team you're looking to get better. I think we feel very good with the base that we have. Now we've got to continue to build on that, and that's the important thing."

Klopas spent much of Thursday's post-training fielding questions regarding whether key players within the 2011 roster will definitely be back next season.

As of now, midfielder Marco Pappa is under contract through the 2012 season, and midfielder Sebastian Grazzini's one-year contract goes through July of next year. The same tone remains with midfielder Pavel Pardo, who wants to return and the organization wants to see return. But an extension is not set at the moment.

Klopas said that Ghanaian forwards Patrick Nyarko and Dominic Oduro were set with the team for the 2012 season, though the players have not echoed that sentiment.

"It will be up to management to see if I'm coming back or not," Oduro said on Thursday.

"I have another team option for next year that hasn't been picked up," Nyarko said last week. "They have to let me know by Dec. 1, so I'll wait on that."

So there clearly is plenty of work needed in solidifying the pieces for next year, but the overall feeling among the organization is that it wants the core group intact.

"I would love it if management keeps the team because as you saw in the last 10 games we had a great record," Oduro said. "We lost only two games out of those 10, which is pretty impressive. We had it together. So it would be nice to have everybody back. At the same time, you always need one or two players to fill in some gaps, and I think we should be fine."

Reports have recently surfaced regarding the possibility of goalkeeper Sean Johnson going on a trial with Manchester United and forward Orr Barouch heading to Maccabi Haifa (Israeli Premier League). While Klopas did not confirm the validity of those potential moves happening, he does anticipate Fire players in the future training elsewhere to maintain an active offseason.

"In the future, we're going to be doing more things like this because we do have relationships now with other clubs," Klopas said. "With some of the players I think it's important for their growth to be in an environment where they continue to train. We'll be looking to do more things like that with some of our players who want to, because it is a long break."

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire have learned at times the hard way that every move has to serve a specific purpose.

Fire owner Andrew Hauptman began Thursday's introduction of now full-time head coach Frank Klopas with an initial dinner meeting the two had before the 2008 season. It ended with Hauptman expressing to Klopas that he wanted him on board that year. But Hauptman did not know right away what that specific role would be.

Following a tough stretch as the team's technical director and then producing a mostly successful interim coaching stint to close out the 2011 season, the results clearly showed that Klopas was best suited to lead the team on the sidelines.

"We made mistakes, we've had some successes, but I think we've all grown a lot along the way," Hauptman said. "This year, when they came to me and said they were going to make a change with the head coach, it made a lot of sense for me at that point for Frank to step in as head coach. I felt like the timing was right. No one really knew the club better than he did. No one knew the players better than he did. And no one understood the possibilities more than he did."

Klopas and the Fire had to mend some errors and failures on the pitch a third of the way into the 2011 campaign. The team made some strides, with Klopas' side posting an 8-5-10 record following the firing of former head coach Carlos de los Cobos.

"The passion that he comes to training with and to games with every day is contagious," Fire defender Dan Gargan said of Klopas. "I think the team is excited to see what he can offer, really in more of a comfortable position."

But it does not get any easier for Klopas as he undertakes this visible role on a permanent basis.

"At any moment you could be playing or you could be gone," Klopas said. "I know the situation, but I feel very confident. And I don't say this in a cocky way -- I can tell you I believe in myself."

As for how the Fire's technical director duties will be handled moving forward, Hauptman said "there's 100 percent likelihood" that another person will come in to fill Klopas' previous role. In the meantime, Javier Leon continues to take on the technical side of things for Hauptman out of Los Angeles. Fire director of player personnel Mike Jeffries occasionally is involved in first-team technical elements, but a bulk of his work is directed toward the Fire's academy system.

The Fire hope they have finally gotten past the massive turnover stage when it comes to both the head coaching position and the player personnel. Gargan, who joined Chicago for the final third of the team's 2011 season, is certainly familiar with experiencing a turnover-heavy environment having come from Toronto FC.

"With the turnover that they've had year after year after year, in five years they've had six coaches," Gargan said. "The number of players that have come through that place, it's mind-boggling. And I think that certain organizations and certain clubs have really seen the way you can consistently win, and that's to keep a good core together and build around that core and not change out 22 guys out of a 30-man roster every single year."

With Klopas staying on board, as long as the bulk of the roster stays intact, there is no need to go through an extensive growing period that would have come about with another coach joining the organization.

"I think with Frank remaining in place and moving forward, there's a certain idea and understanding between him and his staff, which is first and foremost," Gargan said. "Being able to get the players to buy into that and understand where they want to go, that process should be shortened. I don't think that we as a team feel that we've reached a plateau where we're good enough to stop working and stop trying to improve the product that we have. But I think that people in the locker room are excited about the direction that we can go in."