The Chicago Fire are close to reaching an agreement to make Ezra Hendrickson the 10th head coach in club history, a source confirmed to the Tribune late Wednesday after reports broke in the evening.
Hendrickson, a Columbus Crew assistant, has not yet signed paperwork, but a deal reported to be for two years with a team option is expected to be completed as early as next week. The 49-year-old Hendrickson would replace the vacancy left by Raphael Wicky, whom the Fire let go in September after nearly two seasons at the helm.
Hendrickson comes with a wealth of Major League Soccer experience as a player and coach, serving as an assistant with the Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy and Crew, and previously was in charge of the Sounders’ reserve team that plays in the lower-division United Soccer League.
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines native played for more than a decade as a defender in MLS and captained his country in international play. As a player, Hendrickson won three MLS Cups and picked up Supporters’ Shield, CONCACAF Champions’ Cup and U.S. Open Cup winners medals.
The Fire interviewed double-digit candidates for the position, including Sporting Kansas City II coach Paulo Nagamura and Los Angeles FC assistant Ante Razov, the Fire’s all-time leader in goals.
Should the deal be completed, Hendrickson is inheriting a soccer team in flux as sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer embark on their second rebuild since taking over before the 2020 season.
The Fire finished 9-18-7 in 2021, missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season and for the eighth time in nine years.
One day after their season ended, the Fire announced the departures of nine players: forwards Robert Beric (designated player) and Elliot Collier; midfielders Álvaro Medrán and Luka Stojanovic; defenders Francisco Calvo, Johan Kappelhoff and Nicholas Slonina (homegrown); and goalkeepers Kenneth Kronholm and Bobby Shuttleworth.
Contract decisions are still pending on other players, including designated player Gastón Giménez and defender Jonathan Bornstein.
