Raphael Wicky knew the questions were coming.
His Chicago Fire are now in last place in MLS, after losing a dismal, 1-0 match at Soldier Field to the league’s previous bottom-dweller, FC Cincinnati.
After starting the season with a fairly positive draw against a quality New England Revolution side, the Fire have now dropped seven of the last eight matches, scoring just two goals during that stretch. It is, for a club that’s seen more than its share of misery over the last decade, perhaps the lowest point of all.
So when Wicky walked into the press room Wednesday night—the first time reporters have seen him or the players in person since March 2020 because of the pandemic—he already knew what was coming: Does he expect to be fired?