It’s a cold and snowy Wednesday morning in Chicago, and the Fire are inside the dome at the team’s training facility in Bridgeview. Raphael Wicky is everywhere on this day—first, putting the final touches on his session plan at a table next to the field, then talking to his assistants, including Fire legend Frank Klopas, and finally, addressing his team at midfield before the day’s work is set to really begin.
Wicky—or “Rapha” as everyone calls him—is actively taking part in training with his team. He’s playing balls into one line during a technical drill, and then he’s off to the next activity, checking his folded up notes along the way.