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MLS Next Pro is back, and that means so are Chicago Fire II. While they were a fun team to watch last season, Fire II will look dramatically different this time, and in many ways for the better.
For one, there was change at the top of the organization. Gregg Berhalter took over as the Fire's overarching director of football and head coach, which led to a host of changes throughout the entire sporting staff from top to bottom. While Fire II General Manager Alex Boler has stuck around, now-former head coach Ludovic Taillandier was one of the first on the way out.
New boss Mike Matkovich, who was unveiled as Fire II's new head coach last fall, sat down with MIR97 Media at the brand-new Endeavor Health Performance Center in the build-up to his first game back on the touchline as a head coach for several years.
What's Old is New
While Matkovich isn't the best-known member of the Fire's staff, he's been around the organization for quite a while. In fact, a staggering 25 years ago, he was appointed to a position that was nominally similar to his current one: as head coach of the Chicago Fire Reserves.
Of course, this was long before MLS Next Pro or even the presence of MLS second teams in USL; it was so long ago that just one of the 23 players on Fire II's projected roster was even born (Diego Konincks). The Fire Reserves played in the PDL (now USL League Two) and, at that time, boasted future USMNT World Cup stars like Jay DeMerit and Ricardo Clark. However, it wasn't a second team in the traditional sense as it was merely an "affiliate" of the Fire at that time and didn't have the same organization-wide integration that Fire II benefits from today.
"It's a different era in football in this country," Matkovich said. "You have these facilities, you have pro teams, you have pro academies... it was all evolving back then. We didn't have the facilities these guys have today, but he had a lot of good players."
"The game was really just starting to evolve with academy soccer and MLS trying to get a foothold, so it's changed a lot in 25 years. It's pretty cool to see, and sitting here in the facility is unbelievable."
Though his coaching career has taken him to several clubs around the United States in the decade since, he's been back in Chicago with the Fire for the last two years in a scouting role. His involvement with Fire II made this an easy transition for the club, even if it wasn't what Matkovich was expecting.
"I was a little surprised," Matkovich said of Berhalter's decision to offer him the head coaching job. "Gregg brought me in and said that there is where he saw me as the best fit for the club. And when the gaffer gives you a call, you say sure, let's do it... and it's been a lot of fun so far."
From the Top Down
A hallmark of Taillandier's three-year tenure as head coach was his distinct style of play and footballing philosophy. Fire fans who tuned in to second team games last season were treated to a dramatically different sporting product, both stylistically and mentally, from what they saw with the first team. It was a much more fluid, demanding system than the one that Frank Klopas deployed, and there was very little synergy between the two game models.
With Berhalter taking over the entire sporting department, it's clear that that is going to change now. This offseason, the decision was made that all Fire teams — from top to bottom — will follow the same game model, something which Berhalter previously tried to implement within the U.S. youth national team system while he was head coach of the senior men's national team. This desire also was likely a motivation behind the decision to fire Taillandier, as his unique sporting approach didn't necessarily align with Berhalter's vision of the club's organization-wide style of play.
Another benefit of this, however, is the increased mobility between different levels of the club. The first and second team squads train at fields adjacent to one another, and some players have regularly moved back and forth between the two groups. With a unified game model, movement between the first team, second team, and academy can be much smoother.
Overflowing with Talent
Fire II had a blockbuster offseason – practically unprecedented at the MLS Next Pro level – which has made them one of the strongest rosters in MLS Next Pro. The academy talent which they will be able to call upon has also improved significantly since Fire II began play in 2022.
Outside signings this offseason include Italian winger Claudio Cassano, who joins the club directly from Serie B side Cittadella. It was a puzzling move initially, as it is unusual for an established first team player in a decent European league to move to an MLS second team, but it's a testament to the scouting and recruitment that the Fire have put in place. There's also 2024 draft pick Olu Oyegunle, who joins the club after a move to the Belgian Pro League fell through a year ago, and 2007-born winger Jhoiner Montiel, an exciting young Colombian prospect. That list doesn't even include Sam Williams, who's already a borderline first team player since signing with Fire II in January.
These signings will be among the core this season, but like in years past, it will be a hodge podge of MLS Next Pro players, first-teamers, and academy players. The key will be striking the right balance that benefits everyone in the club.
"The roster composition will change," Matkovich said. "Between first team guys coming down, guys we've drafted or signed to the second team, we have a good core. Then we want to promote the academy players like (Christopher) Cupps and Chase (Nagle) and all of those guys who came up through the system as well."
"It's the evolution of the game in this country. If you go back over time, there are now more professional environments and more training, the players are getting better. The average guy is much better than he was five, ten years ago, and the scouting system for the academy is pretty good."
In addition to Nagle and newly-minted homegrown signing Cupps, Vitaliy Hlyut and Patrick Los are among the teenage academy stars in line to start. 15-year-olds Robert Turdean and Darris Hyte, who both signed pro contracts in January, will also have the opportunity to break through with Fire II later in the year.
Development First
When the MLS Next Pro season kicks off today, the result won't be the most important thing to Matkovich. In this case, he is more focused on the future, and it's clear that all of the exciting signings this offseason were made with a long-term eye toward who can be an impact player at the MLS level in the future.
"I don't think this is really about winning and losing, it's more about player development," Matkovich said. "Of we can get guys pushed up to the first team, that's our job."
"That's our biggest focus right now: getting guys in, getting them in our game model, making sure we're developing them so they're ready if they move up to the first team."
But would getting some wins on the board be nice too?
"Sure, from that angle, when you step on the field, you always play to win."
