Christian Hirschboeck ’25
Staff Writer
With a focus on Chicago’s professional football, basketball, and half of the baseball teams previously covered, this second article delves into the other group of teams previously undiscussed consisting of the current state of men and women’s soccer, ice hockey, and the other half of baseball, and why you should keep your eye out for them to make an impact in their respective leagues in 2022.
Cubs (Baseball):
The Cubs have similar experiences to those of the Sox due to the nature of their varying levels of success. A notable thing about the Cubs used to be the “Curse of The Billy Goat,” which was placed on the franchise in 1945 by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis when his goat was denied entry into the stadium. It took the Cubs 71 years to break that record, going all the way up until their World Series win in 2016. But now again, the Cubs seem to be hitting some form of a decline, with fan favorites Kris Bryant, Javy Baez, and Anthony Rizzo all being traded away in 2021. Last MLB season, the Cubs finished last in the NL Central and missed the postseason, but now with continuous development on and off the field, things can reach a positive level once again. The team now has a very young core which is great to build off for the future and not difficult to fix if problems arise. Also, with continuous investment into Wrigleyville and the Wrigley Field Ballpark, the general vibe around the team and fan atmospheres are great.
Fire (Men’s Soccer):
The Fire are a team thought about by relatively few because of the general lack of soccer interest among American sports consumers, but also because of their consistent inability to make the playoffs and terrible 2019 rebrand. That last sentence hurt me a lot because of my devoted following to the club, but it is the unavoidable truth. When the Fire first came into existence in 1997, they immediately set the league ablaze, winning MLS Cup in 1998, a supporter’s shield in 2003, and four US Open Cups from 1998 to 2006. The team was bought in 2007 by new owner and Los Angeles Andrew Hauptman, which signaled a consistently large decline in club culture and team performances coincided by the introduction of then club president Nelson Rodriguez. A lot of people do not know about that period of early franchise success because no other trophies have been won since then. The Hauptman regime was signaled by the establishment of a tumultuous front office, which is still remembered for things like banning or reallocating supporters’ groups and treating homegrown players like tradeable assets. Now, there is hope that the Fire can tap into potentially the biggest soccer market in the United States under new owner and midwest native Joe Mansueto. The team has had growing pains going into the fourth year of ownership, but there are clear signs of progress. Academy players such as Gaga Slonina, who is 17 at the time of writing, is looking at his first full season as an MLS starter, unless he does not get that chance with rumored interest from European giants Manchester United, Juventus, and Atletico Madrid. Other players, such as Lemont native Djordje Mihailovic who was sold to the Montreal Impact for over $1 million in profit, while Polish International Przemyslaw Frankowski was sold to French club RC Lens for double what he was bought for are noted because of not only the money they have brought in, but also their success at other teams. Now back in Soldier Field with 11 rostered homegrown players, the direction of the team seems to be positive once again, marked by the in-league signing of former all-star Kacper Pryzbylko (pronounced sha-byl-co), and headliner Xherdan Shaqiri who had notable success in Europe with giants Bayern Munich and Liverpool. The near future has suddenly become very exciting for the Fire, but time will tell if they are able to reboot Chicago’s desire for a potent men’s soccer team once again.
Red Stars (Women’s Soccer):
The Chicago Red Stars are the opposite side of the Chicago soccer spectrum. Founded in 2006, the Red Stars have been one of the best teams in the various professional women’s soccer leagues they have played in. They have played in four different leagues since their founding and recently got to the 2021 NWSL Championship Final, which they lost to the Washington Spirit. Off-field issues plagued the team in the offseason, with former head coach Rory Dames being accused of sexual misconduct and emotional abuse by players only 48 hours after the NWSL Championship game. The Red Stars have just recently announced the recruitment of long-time college coach Chris Petrucelli as of February 18, 2022, but that may not be enough to stop the exodus of many important players from the first-team squad. Despite these changes, the Red Stars have managed to keep US Women’s National Team stars in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and forward Mallory Pugh, as well as sign striker Yuki Nagasato for her second stint with the club. The team recently set a club-high attendance record in 2019, hitting 17,300 fans for a game against the Carolina Courage, and despite the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, there is popular belief that the team can hit those numbers again in the near future seeing that attendance always skyrockets around years of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the nearest coming in 2023. It certainly does not hurt that the USWNT is the team with the most silverware to boast, with four World Cup titles to their record. Hopefully with the induction of coach Chris Petrucelli, he can help this team make reassurance of its status as one of the best teams in professional women’s soccer, and with many players staying on-board despite the controversy, there is no reason why the team cannot make another run to another NWSL final in 2022.
Blackhawks (Hockey):
From 2010 to 2015, the Blackhawks were potentially the hottest team in the NHL, winning three Stanley Cup Championships in that period, but that feels like too long a time ago when looking at the Blackhawks now. The team currently sits seventh out of eight in the Central Division of the Western Conference while also having more games played than any other team in the Central Division. This drastic change in winning culture primarily stems from poor trades and the firing of legendary coach Joel Quenneville, who currently sits second in all-time wins as a head coach with 1,090. The team still holds fan favorites Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, but there seems to be a huge difference in supporting cast when looking at the team now compared to the dynasty of the 2010s. The franchise currently has no permanent coach or general manager, with interim positions being filled by Derek King and Kyle Davidson, respectively. On top of the lack of solidified leadership and coaching, off-ice issues stemming from a coverup of a 2010 sexual assault allegation scandal by a former draftee, as well as constant controversy over the naming and imaging of the franchise, it is unknown what the future holds for the Blackhawks, and if they are to even be called that in the future. After the franchise can find some stability in management and improve their squad upon their current valuable assets, we hope their future involves silverware.
This concludes my 2022 review of the current state of Chicago sports and why you should be paying attention to them. I hope all readers enjoyed it and I hope to be doing more of the same writing soon. Maybe even some writing about championships—wink-wink Chicago Bulls.
