Chicago Fire announced on Thursday that they have parted ways with their head coach Raphael Wicky. The move comes after Fire endured another disappointing MLS campaign that sees them at number 12 in the Eastern Conference with just seven wins from 28 games.
The team also named assistant Frank Klopas as an interim head coach while stating that the search for a new head coach “is now underway.” Klopas will have his first game at the helm against Toronto FC on Sunday.
Fire hired Wicky ahead of the 2020 MLS season, hoping he could orchestrate a return to playoffs after the team failed to qualify for the postseason in two consecutive years. But things didn’t go according to plan, as the Swiss coach was nowhere near completing this goal.
Wicky leaves the Fire after 52 games in which he has overseen just 12 wins and 26 defeats.
“I’d like to thank Rapha for his tireless efforts to make us a better Club each day,” Chicago’s sporting director Georg Heitz said in a statement. “We felt this was the right time to notify him that we will not be exercising his 2022 contract option, as we begin to make decisions for next season. Rapha will always be a part of the Fire family, and we wish him all the best for the future.”
