What now for the Chicago Fire midfield?

When the Chicago Fire took the field for MLS opening day last week in Columbus, the first tactical surprise of the Gregg Berhalter era came in midfield. It wasn't the personnel that was shocking; the midfield trio of Kellyn Acosta, Brian Gutiérrez, and Sergio Oregel Jr. largely picked itself as they were the only three fully fit midfielders on the roster. Instead, it was their alignment: a flat, fluid three across the midfield, with the all-American trio interchanging throughout.

"We were trying to hurt Columbus in certain spaces, and we use a variety of guys to do that," Berhalter said after the game on Saturday. "Basically with our three, we had them interchanging and coming low, staying between the pockets and going wide, overloading with sides, really to give us numerical advantages, and really trying to attract the opponent to one side and then get to the other side of the field."

"I think it gets the best out of all of us," Gutiérrez added. "I think I'm more of a midfielder, and I think Gregg sees that, and I think what we implemented and what we were practicing. As a three, we want the ball in the midfield, rotating as a three, I think we just need to work on it more."

However, there won't be a Brian Gutiérrez to step back in tomorrow after his two-goal performance last week. The midfielder was handed a one-game suspension by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for a second half foul on Yevhen Cherberko — despite a lengthy VAR check determining in-game that it should only be a yellow card offense.

Chicago Fire FC midfielder Kellyn Acosta (23) reacts to an own goal during the first half of the MLS soccer match against the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field in Columbus on Feb. 22, 2025. — Acosta had a new role as part of a flat-three. (Imagn)

Who's left

The logical next-man-up in midfield would be new addition Rominigue Kouamé, who signed with the team on loan from Cádiz a few weeks ago and debuted with a second half cameo in the final preseason match. However, he's still out injured after missing training for the last two weeks and certainly won't be available for selection. Then there's Mauricio Pineda, who played 30 minutes against the Crew last week, but he's also not fit enough to play a full 90 minutes and certainly won't be able to start on Saturday.

That leaves just two players realistically remaining, and neither is on the Fire's first team roster. Second team midfielders Harold Osorio and Sam Williams were both unused substitutes on opening day, and all indications are that Berhalter is going to hand a start to one of them this weekend.

"That's exactly what we're working through right now," Berhalter told media on Thursday when asked about the possibility of either Fire II player getting a start. "It's not ideal, the situation we have with midfielders, but we have to make the best of it. It's something that we're working through."

Osorio is more of a like-for-like with Gutiérrez should Berhalter stick with a similar shape in possession. The El Salvador international is yet to debut in MLS but has two caps for his national team. In addition, he has scored 12 goals in 28 MLS Next Pro appearances, mostly as an attacking midfielder or winger.

Williams joined the team this offseason after leaving college early; he played at the University of North Carolina last fall – Berhalter's alma mater – and appeared regularly for the Fire in preseason. He is also yet to make a professional debut, so like Osorio, this will be a big stage for him. Williams would probably be a more defensive addition, enabling Oregel to play higher up the field.

Sam Williams — Williams joined the team from UNC. (photo: Alex Calabrese)

Short-term call-ups

The promotion of Osorio and Williams to first team consideration this week is somewhat complicated by the fact that they can technically only appear twice in MLS on their current deals. MLS clubs are permitted to bring second team players into four matchday squads per season, and they may only play in two games. Both Osorio and Williams sat on the bench last week, so they only have three call-ups remaining.

Last season, the Fire used several short-term call-ups throughout the season, though only one player ended up appearing. That was Omari Glasgow, who came off the bench twice after he was an unused substitute in his other two call-ups. David Poreba and Diego Konincks also got call-ups to fill holes on the bench but did not get on the field. Finally, now-departed Christian Koffi and Jaylen Shannon got appearances in Leagues Cup, though cup call-ups don't officially count toward the limited total.

Osorio and Williams could be possible future first team signings. However, Osorio's transfer fee serves as a complication that might make it more difficult to sign him to an MLS deal until his original contract expires at the end of this season. Once the call-ups of Osorio and Williams are burned, the next man up from Fire II in midfield is new signing Trip Fleming III – a talented player, yes, but an inexperienced one, and not someone Berhalter will want to have to depend on.

trip fleming iii — Fleming III is the team's next option after Osorio and Williams. (via Barbara Calabrese)

Further Reinforcements

Ultimately, the short-term call-ups of Fire II players are a band-aid on this midfield crisis. As good as the second team roster is relative to the MLS Next Pro level, the total lack of midfield depth is still something that needs to be addressed for this team long-term. As good as Oregel was in preseason and as good as he can be in the future, his career MLS minutes just jumped from 10 to 70, and he needs more time before he's ready to be a starter at the professional level.

Luckily for the Fire? They have three open roster slots, and the primary transfer window is still open until mid-April. Unlike under previous chief soccer officer Georg Heitz, the Fire are expected to be aggressive on the transfer market throughout the season, and while in years past the team has rarely made moves mid-season, things will be different this time. The midfield crisis makes it seem incredibly likely that that will be the place on the field that the team will look.

Feb 22, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Chicago Fire FC midfielder Sergio Oregel (35) dribbles the ball while Columbus Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki (25) defends in the second half at Lower.com Field. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images — Saturday was Oregel's first MLS appearance. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

"We're looking at potentially adding to the squad, strengthening the squad," Berhalter said. "I won't say exactly what position, but there are a couple of different opportunities, some really high-impact players that we've been looking at and positioning for."

Domestically, Minnesota United's Hassani Dotson and free agent Sean Davis are the most apparent available midfielders. Dotson reportedly requested a trade away from Minnesota a few weeks ago and would be a solid addition, while Davis was let go by the L.A. Galaxy shortly before the start of the season. Dotson, 27, is a particularly intriguing possibility as he can also fill in as a left back, another position of weakness, but it remains to be seen if the Fire are in the race to add him.