BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Jeff Larentowicz has been a winner everywhere he has played, and now the 10-year MLS veteran is hoping to bring some of that winning pedigree to bear on a Chicago Fire roster that has shown considerable promise this year.
The 31-year-old midfielder turned center back tasted MLS Cup success with the Colorado Rapids in 2010, US Open Cup honors in 2007 with the New England Revolution and went to three MLS Cup finals with the Revs in his first three seasons in MLS from 2005-07. And all that was after he won two Ivy League championships while playing at Brown University.
So Larentowicz, who has come a long way since he was a fifth-round selection (45th overall) in the 2005 SuperDraft, knows the road to success, and he sees some of the ingredients from those teams simmering nicely with the current batch of Fire players, who travel to face New York City FC Friday evening (6 pm CT, Univision Deportes).
“There’s no question about that,” Larentowicz, who is closing in on 300 MLS appearances, told MLSsoccer.com. “I think we’ve got plenty of talent, day by day you can see guys coming out of their shells and coming together as a team, which is key.
“On all the good teams that I have played on, guys have always liked each other, or at least enjoyed playing with each other, and I think day to day you see that with us. There’s still more work to be done, and everyone knows that, so that desire to get better is something that we also have.”
Now in his third year with the Men in Red, Larentowicz, who was born in Pasadena, Calif., but grew up in West Chester, Pa., believes there has been a significant change in mentality under second-year head coach Frank Yallop from when he first arrived under Frank Klopas in 2013. The team currently sits in the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, with nine points through eight games played.
“There’s just been a lot of turnover,” Larentowicz said. “There’s not a lot of guys from that time still here, and sometimes for a club it’s good to get new blood in, a new mentality, and Frank’s done that in the last year. And it’s been good, it’s just a different attitude here.”
One of the key components of any successful team is a solid defense, and Yallop has entrusted his experienced captain to lead the line from the center of defense this campaign. Larentowicz has rewarded his coach’s faith with a number of commanding displays at the back, where he has forged a promising partnership with Brazilian Adailton, along with fellow offseason recruits Joevin Jones and Eric Gehrig on the flanks.
“This year has been good, it’s been building, and Adi is very easy to play with, easy to get along with,” Larentowicz said. “You get better as the games go on, as you play more and more together, and you can see that JJ, Eric, Adi and I are really getting on the same page. We see it on the film. There are still things to fix, but it’s a unit, and I don’t think it’s been like that in the past.”
Yallop said Larentowicz was very receptive to the position switch.
“He just wants to play,” Yallop said. “I think the transition has been better than I thought, to be honest. I think if he had done this maybe a few years ago he could be playing for the US because I think he’s real comfortable there, he reads the game well, very comfortable on the ball, a tough guy, good in the air, good tackler, quick, and he plays the position really well. I’ve been very happy with him in that spot.”
Not a bad assessment of a player who once believed “Brown was a bit of a reach for my talent level” but went on to win four USMNT caps.
One area in Larentowicz’s game that certainly does not need to be fixed is the vocal and assertive style he brings to leading the Fire, both on and off the pitch. As captain, he never shirks his responsibility to the media, the fans, his coach and, most importantly, his teammates.
Throughout last season’s run toward a record-setting 18 draws, Larentowicz always made himself available to face the media, even when the questions he faced weren’t exactly easy to answer. In difficult times, he always gave an honest assessment of his side’s failings.
“You have to watch over everybody; you have to take everybody into account,” he said.
Larentowicz majored in Public Policy and American Institutions at Brown, and as one of the more articulate and astute thinkers in the game, it is no surprise that he has taken on extracurricular activities beyond his role as club captain. His vision and passion for the game are obvious, and he also serves as one of the Fire's representatives to the MLS Players Union.
“I’m happy to be involved,” he said of his participation in the recent CBA talks. “It’s something that I can look back on beyond stats and games and wins and trophies and say I was a part of.”
The transition from midfield to center back hasn’t been the only adjustment Larentowicz has had to make in the last 12 months, with his first child, Sebastien, arriving last July and adding a new chapter to home life with wife Kristi, whom he met during his time in Denver.
“It’s been good,” he said of his new role as a father. “It’s been hard; it’s been easy sometimes. I think the thing you learn is that you have to change as a person more than at any other time in your life. The kid is usually not the problem, it’s usually you, you’re kind of standing in your own way from just being content. But my son’s great, my wife’s been fantastic and we’ve also grown as a family.”
As for the future, while he admits he does have ambitions to coach and stay involved in the game, he remains focused on the present and trying to achieve future success with the Fire.
“I’m enjoying my career right now,” he said. “I do think about coaching, but I want to play as long as possible.”
Shane Murray covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com
