Dax McCarty trade means Fire search for core continues

On Oct. 25, 2017, the Fire lost 4-0 to the New York Red Bulls in an Eastern Conference playoff game. Though the season ended with a thud, 2017 was a success for the Fire, who finished third in the league and seemed to have a foundation in place.

Two years later, only four players are left from that team, and the Fire still are searching for a successful core.

As expected, on Tuesday the Fire traded captain Dax McCarty to 2020 expansion club Nashville SC for $100,000 in allocation money and a 2021 second-round pick. McCarty, 32, spent three seasons with the Fire and appeared in 86 regular-season matches. He also played in the 2017 MLS All-Star Game at Soldier Field.

“We are entering a new cycle with the team’s roster,” Fire president and general manager Nelson Rodriguez said in a news release. “Dax helped us through an important stage in the club’s history, and he will be remembered among our fans’ most favorite players. We wish Dax and his family all the best with their new opportunity in Nashville.”

On Twitter, McCarty thanked Fire fans for their support, calling them the “lifeblood” of the club. McCarty also wrote he has “no doubt winning ways will return in the near future.

“Plenty of incredible memories and friendships I will take with me the rest of my life,” McCarty posted. “My only regret in my [three] years at the club was that we weren’t able to have more success on the field.”

With McCarty, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Nemanja Nikolic gone, the Fire still find themselves trying to establish a core. Sustained success continues to elude them.

The only two starters left from the team that lost to the Red Bulls are Johan Kappelhof and Djordje Mihailovic. Goalie Richard Sanchez and midfielder Brandt Bronico are the only two who remain from the bench, and Sanchez has a club option and could be gone by the start of next season.

After that loss, 2017 starters such as Matt Polster and Brandon Vincent looked like pieces for the future. But Polster left for Scottish club Rangers before the 2019 season, and Vincent surprisingly retired after 2018.

The Fire do have some players who could be part of a core, not to mention whoever else arrives this offseason.

Whether it’s at right back or in the middle, Kappelhof figures to be a key part of the 2020 group, as does midfielder Alvaro Medran. Bronico has established himself. Mihailovic has shown flashes and has U.S. national-team appearances under his belt, but he didn’t progress last season. Przemyslaw Frankowski became the Fire’s most potent attacker, and CJ Sapong was their most consistent finisher.

Yet, as the Fire move back into the city, Rodriguez and coach Veljko Paunovic still are working to build a winning foundation. Four full seasons into their time in Chicago, the Fire still don’t have one.