Fire coach Raphael Wicky had three updates Monday.
“First, the player who was confirmed positive on Friday is self-isolating. He continues to be asymptomatic and is in good spirits,” Wicky said. “Second, all other players and staff have continued to test negative, thankfully, and are all asymptomatic. And third, our club followed all the health, safety, and medical protocols put in place by Major League Soccer. We have done so the entire time since March. We did it in Orlando in the bubble and we continue to do it now.”
That Wicky had to make that statement is a part of life these days, especially after the Fire’s late Friday night announcement. It’s another sign that COVID-19 will be part of everything Tuesday night when the team makes its Soldier Field return against FC Cincinnati.
Originally, the Fire were supposed to play at the lakefront on March 21 against Atlanta United, but that was postponed due to the pandemic. Instead, the Fire’s had to wait five months for their Soldier Field bow, and there will be no fans in the stands because of safety reasons.
Indeed, that’s quite far from what the Fire envisioned, and the pandemic has undoubtedly affected all facets of the franchise.
On the field, the Fire (1-4-1, 4 points) are still trying to figure out how the pieces fit. Wicky conceded the circumstances have been challenging for the club, which practically rebuilt their roster after last year.
But at the same time, he knows every team is battling an unprecedented season.
“It’s obviously challenging and then all the other things where you’re not really getting a rhythm,” Wicky said from Soldier Field, where the Fire practiced Monday. “But I can’t lose too much energy on that. I can’t control that so that’s just how it is this year. That doesn’t excuse anything but it’s a fact. It’s not easy but we work hard. We try to do the best and we do the best (we can) and that’s all we can control.”
Off the field, the Fire chose not to pursue welcoming fans for their initial three home matches. Whether or not they try to open their doors later this year remains to be seen, but that choice will come down to health and safety, the current situation in and around Chicago, and how the Fire feel about their preparedness to host supporters.
“We had this vision and we were on track for this fantastic celebration of our sport and our city and our community on March 21,” Fire president Nelson Rodriguez said. “We want to, if we can, we want to still have that moment. That’s not to say we won’t play with fans if we’re limited in attendance, but it is to say if in Phase 2 we go back and invite fans in, we might just scale back what we do because we don’t want to lose that moment that we know was going to happen and we know will happen.”
