With his first significant personnel announcement of 2019, Chicago Fire President and GM Nelson Rodríguez made official on Thursday a move that has been in the works over the last several weeks -- the re-signing of head coach Veljko Paunović to a new contract.
Initially hired by Rodríguez in November 2015, Paunović saw his original three-year contract conclude following the 2018 campaign but in recent months has consistently expressed his desire to continue on with the Men In Red. Paunović will now have the opportunity to do so with a new two-year contract that includes an option for the 2021 season, a deal which if seen to its conclusion would make him the longest-tenured head coach in club history.
In confirming his return, Pauno expressed gratitude to the club, its fans and the city of Chicago for their continued support, as well as a renewed commitment to seeing the club raise a trophy under his stewardship.
“I feel excited about this project as I was the very first day three years ago when I became a part of the Chicago Fire Football family,” said Paunović, who also will retain Assistant Coaches Marko Mitrović and Eric Gehrig along with Goalkeeper Coach Aleksandar Sarić in 2019. “It’s all about the conviction, trust, and unity.”
Since the MLS regular season concluded in October, Paunović and his staff have been active in roster-building for 2019, both in regard to securing key players from 2018 and in identifying potential new additions to the squad. Most notably, this offseason has seen the Fire ink Bastian Schweinsteiger to a new contract, trade for forward Fabian Herbers from Philadelphia, and acquire veteran Brazilian centerback Marcelo from Sporting CP in Portugal.
More movement could be on the horizon with the international January transfer window now open and the MLS SuperDraft -- always fertile ground for trade action within the league -- arriving in Chicago next Friday (Jan. 11). Regardless of what the future may hold in terms of player personnel, the Fire again have certainty that the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup-winning coach will be bringing his passion and leadership to the pitch when preseason training begins later this month.
“We believe the foundation we are setting and the standards we are demanding are the right ones in developing our championship program,” Rodríguez stated in today’s press release. “Continuity is a critical element in that process and retaining Pauno for the next few years as a leader in that effort was an important off-season objective.”
