The Chicago Fire aren’t worried about their lack of size up top.
The team lost lone big strikers Brian McBride and Collins John this offseason, but didn't to replace them with similarly built players.
Instead, the club opted to sign several smaller, speedier, more technical forwards, such as Uruguayan duo Gastón Puerari (pictured above) and Diego Cháves. The idea is that the slighter strikers will frequently swap positions with attacking midfielders to give Chicago added versatility in the final third.
“We have a lot of dynamic guys who can play anywhere up top,” Fire winger/forward Patrick Nyarko told MLSsoccer.com. “It’s definitely an advantage to be able to keep switching people around. … It gives the opposing defenses another look.”
Of course, the approach does far more than give enemy back fours another look: It frees the Fire up. The team can now use both of their strikers more actively in buildups. The forwards will be able to drop into the midfield, thread the final pass, dash to goal and hopefully finish.
[inline_node:318148]It’s a strategy the Fire couldn’t employ as easily when playing a larger, less-mobile target striker — and it’s one that Nyarko thinks will pay off.
“All the guys can drop back and get the ball and make the final pass,” he said. “It’s an advantage over the more one-dimensional player who’s just going to stay up there and give the defenders an easy chance to mark him up.”
Nyarko acknowledged that the team must adjust to the new strategy, but he said the players are learning quickly and that everyone’s confident they’ll have it down in time for First Kick at FC Dallas on March 19.
“It’s obviously a little different than last year when we had bigger guys who could post up and stuff," Nyarko said, "but we’ve been working on it all preseason and now we have three weeks to finish it up.
"Hopefully we can be a team with guys who can move any direction, who can get the ball and pass and who can make the final run. It’d make it easier for everyone out there. We’re looking forward to it.”
Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @samstejskal.
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