There is no spinning this. When you lose 7-2 in MLS, as the Chicago Fire FC did last night to Nashville SC, there is nothing positive to be said. Fire head coach and football director Gregg Berhalter pulled no punches afterward, calling the result an “absolute disaster.” Berhalter also apologized, to both the owner and the fans.
The result left the Fire on the outside looking in (11th place), regarding the Eastern Conference playoff picture (top 7 get in, 8th and 9th go to play-in game). And just a couple weeks ago, they were in the top three.
While the Fire have conceded six goals on three previous occasions, this was the first time they’ve ever shipped seven in a match. However, it’s not the most lopsided loss in club history. That dubious distinction still belongs to the 2014 U.S. Open Cup semifinal thrashing (6-0) at the hands of the Seattle Sounders.
“We’ve made a lot of new additions, both in high-caliber players and in depth players, to try and build a strong roster that can compete,” Berhalter said to RG.org in the preseason.
And he’s right- this roster is substantially upgraded over last year’s edition, but obviously, it’s nowhere near enough. It’s going to take time for the new players to all gel together.
Not to mention you have to get all the players brought in under Berhalter to coalesce with the individual footballers that were brought in under previous regimes.
It’s complicated, and there going to be some major bumps and bruises along the way. Last night was certainly one (to say the least).
“I think the first thing is, apologizing,” Berhalter told the media assembled in the Athens of the South. “Apologizing to the fans that took the time out of their day to watch that game; some of them perhaps traveled to the game.
“Apology to the owner for putting up a performance like this.
“That doesn’t represent who we are. It was a very, very poor performance, and we deserved to lose the way we did.”
Losing by five brought the Fire into a goal differential that is now under water on the season. They also have not won at home yet, in four tries, this season.
The first year coach continued: “we’re going to learn a lot about ourselves this week. And part of it is going to be processing through the game, not just flushing it away.”
“Taking accountability for it as coaches, as players, and plotting how we move forward. But today was an absolute disaster and a very, very poor performance.”
Up next is a visit from seventh place Orlando City on Saturday night.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter