Less than two months after the club unveiled the infamous Fire Crown badge in the fall of 2019, owner Joe Mansueto told the Sun-Times the franchise would “fix it” if the mark didn’t catch on with fans. The logo was never accepted, and by 2022 the Fire had changed to their current look after using a different process and designer that led to a superior result.
Like he did with the logo, Mansueto needs to learn from a past Fire failure when he searches for sporting director Georg Heitz’s replacement.
On Monday, Heitz gave Mansueto and the Fire a gift when he resigned, effective at the end of the season. While Heitz has made admirable strides in building the club’s infrastructure, the on-field results haven’t improved. In a league built for parity, the Fire are on track to miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive time under Heitz and seventh overall.
“Georg recently informed me of his decision to step away from the Fire after the season, and while I respect his choice to return to Switzerland, his presence and leadership will be greatly missed,” Mansueto said in a news release. “I would like to sincerely thank Georg for his dedicated efforts to expand our football operations and build a structure that will set the club up for success.”
By announcing his resignation when he did, Heitz allowed the Fire to start looking for his replacement immediately. There will be no questions about whether Heitz will get another season or if he has learned from missteps such as giving millions to Xherdan Shaqiri or wasting precious designated-player slots on Gaston Gimenez, Robert Beric, Ignacio Aliseda or Jairo Torres.
Instead, Mansueto can get to work now. September will mark the five-year anniversary of him buying out Andrew Hauptman and taking over the franchise. In that time, Mansueto should have built a strong network of contacts on the American soccer landscape and a better understanding of how to win in MLS.
He can use those connections instead of farming out the hunt to a search firm, which he did before hiring Heitz, and find someone who has been around the league. Mansueto’s reputation in MLS circles figures to be strong — he spends money, is engaged with the club, is loyal to his staff and gave Heitz five chances to build a winner — so he shouldn’t have to pick at scraps for the Fire’s next top sports executive or ask for outside help.
That also should allow Mansueto to work quickly, unlike in 2019 when he waited until five days before Christmas to bring in Heitz, who had never worked in American soccer. With the offseason not officially starting until after the MLS Cup on Dec. 7, the new hire can — and should — be in place when the transfer market opens.
By hiring swiftly, the Fire can make a call on their 2025 coach and deliberately pinpoint their needs before a period when they’ll have roster flexibility. With Shaqiri gone, the Fire will have his DP spot to fill, presenting them with a real chance to move forward.
If Mansueto has absorbed anything from the past, Monday could be a watershed day for the Fire. If he hasn’t, then it will be just the end of one dreary chapter and the beginning of another.