By picking up the 2023 options on sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer, owner Joe Mansueto sent a strong message to Fire fans:
Don’t get your hopes up for next season.
Under Heitz and Pelzer, the Fire have missed the playoffs three straight years. They’ve swung and missed on designated players, haven’t built enough depth to survive a season and constructed lopsided rosters prone to the worst kinds of losses.
Yet Mansueto is giving them another chance, opening himself up to questions about his judgment and whose advice he’s taking.
“I’m pleased that Georg and Sebastian will return in 2023,” Mansueto said in a statement. “Going into next season, we feel that we have established a strong foundation with a new coaching staff, led by Ezra Hendrickson, and a core group of players to build around.”
Keeping Heitz and Pelzer for another season hurts the Fire’s chances next year, and could have repercussions for future builds.
Heitz and Pelzer can sign another designated player this offseason after restructuring Gaston Gimenez’s deal. While the roster flexibility should be a positive that gives the Fire a chance to add a striker, Heitz and Pelzer could bring in a high-priced player who might handcuff their successors if they’re gone after 2023.
If that happens, it will be Mansueto’s fault.
Mansueto has done some good things since taking over for Andrew Hauptman late in the 2019 season. He’s invested much-needed money into the club, seems to genuinely care about its success and his deep wallet gives the franchise legitimate hope for the future both on and off the field. Ditching the infamous “Fire Crown” was a sign he’s willing to listen to supporters and reverse a mistake, and getting games onto WGN brought in new fans.
But he can’t seem to quit Heitz and Pelzer, a duo whose failings have undermined the rest of the club. And their successes shouldn’t have been enough to get a fourth year even if Mansueto is looking for steady long-term growth and not quick fixes.
True, since the beginning of 2021 the Fire have sold Gabriel Slonina to Chelsea and Przemyslaw Frankowski to French side RC Lens, but both players were with the club before Heitz and Pelzer came to Chicago. Jhon Duran looks like a shrewd signing who will bring in an eight-figure transfer fee, and should have been a member of the starting lineup earlier this year.
Selling players, however, shouldn’t be the crowning achievement for a front office or a justification for keeping the top executives.
The rest of Heitz and Pelzer’s successes - adding Chris Mueller, Rafael Czichos and Federico Navarro - haven’t translated to helping the team get back into the playoffs. Signing 10 homegrown players and investing in the youth system is a plus, though it remains to be seen how many will be difference-makers at Soldier Field.
Mansueto had a chance to bring in new executives with different methods than Heitz and Pelzer. Unfortunately for the Fire, Mansueto didn’t take advantage of that opportunity. And if the 2023 season is like the last three, there’s only one person to blame.
It’s not Heitz or Pelzer.
