The Chicago Fire have developed a stigma for being unable to close out deals in recent seasons.
It started with the Jermaine Jones fiasco, with the Men In Red losing the player after a blind draw. (Which might not have been a blind draw after all, but I’m not gonna get into that right now.)
Then, the Fire lost out on Didier Drogba, having to trade his rights to Montreal after the Ivorian decided he’d rather live in a French-speaking community.
Most recently, and most heartbreakingly, Chicago were unable to bring in exciting young attacking midfielder Juan Quintero, with the Colombian only using the Fire as leverage to get a better contract with River Plate.