Chicago Fire Football Club is a Major League Soccer team that was founded in 1997. Under new ownership, the Club recently returned to Chicago’s iconic Soldier Field, opened a new 50,000-square foot office in the heart of the city, and will unveil a premium state-of-the-art Performance Center in January 2025. With tremendous growth and expansion, the Club is laying the foundation for an audacious and ambitious vision that will transform the brand and the company in the coming years.

At Chicago Fire Football Club, we’re on a mission to entertain, serve, and unite Chicago by delivering excellence on and off the pitch to ensure a world-class experience. As a club we let our values guide everything we do: we uphold uncompromising integrity, show respect for all at all times, never settle for less, constantly innovate, and hold ourselves relentlessly accountable.

Position Overview:

Chicago Fire Football Club (Club) is seeking a dedicated Assistant Coach to support the Head Coach with training and enhancing player performance, contributing to the development of a core group of players who can excel at the international level. This position will uphold and foster the Chicago Fire FC’s values and culture, which reflect the club's goals and commitment to high performance. The Assistant Coach will report directly to the Director of Football and Head Coach.

Context of the Chicago Fire FC Assistant Coach

This role will serve as the Assistant Coach of our Chicago Fire FC First Team
Foster a High-Performance environment that enables players to reach their full potential
Work closely with both experienced elite players and high-potential talent
Commits to the Club’s mission, values, and objectives, driving a culture of excellence that supports Chicago Fire FC’s goals on and off the field.

Purpose of the Assistant Coach

Contribute to the Club’s vision and mission by actively embodying and promoting its values and objectives
Assist in player selection by identifying players who align with Chicago Fire FC standards, values, and overall criteria
Support the implementation of strategies, formations and a system of play principles aligned with the Club’s style of play, ensuring competitiveness on a local and international level
Assist in evaluating players and fostering an environment that promotes growth, allowing each athlete to reach their highest potential.
Provides expertise, performs duties and tasks specific to what is asked to perform at the highest levels

Coaching games

Assist in selecting lineups and makes team decisions that facilitate the most significant opportunity for a positive result and quality performance
Support in the creation of development and performance goals for the team and individual
Aid in the creation and execution plan based on the style of play principles and opponent-based strategies
Create a high-performance environment and encourages players to take responsibility for decision making
Evaluate the game with players and Head and Assistant coaches

Coaching training sessions

Assist in selecting lineups and makes team decisions that facilitate the most significant opportunity for a positive result and quality performance
Support in the creation of development and performance goals for the team and individual
Aid in the creation and execution plan based on the style of play principles and opponent-based strategies
Create a high-performance environment and encourages players to take responsibility for decision making
Evaluate the game with players and Head and Assistant coaches

Leading the player

Adopt a player-centric mentality to coaching and teaching
Guide players in both on-field performance and off-field development, providing comprehensive mentorship for their growth as professionals.
Engage in frequent and proactive communication with the players to aid in their overall development

Manage the performance environment

Support in the performance environment for players and staff
Manage the conditions for an optimal on – and off-the-field performance for players, coaches and staff
Evaluate the performance environment and shares areas of improvement on realistic, achievable objectives
Emphasize the self-responsibility and fosters accountability of players coaches, and staff in creating the best working relationship amongst teammates and staff

Developing and implementing leadership

Exemplify strong leadership and consistently model the Club’s leadership philosophy
Communicate in an open, honest manner to players, staff members, and clubs
Maintain a connection to all players within the organization while fostering a growth mindset
Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability with (un)expected problems and challenges
Identify useful sources of information to discover innovations or current trends in the field of coaching
Demonstrates a growth mindset
Articulates own learning needs and formulates personal development goals
Evaluates reflects and focuses on self-development

Key Responsibilities:

Collaborate with the Sporting Director, General Manager, Head of Football Strategy, Head of Performance, Head of Recruitment, and Head Coach to create the best environment for our players
Assist in implementing a clear strategy that corresponds with the Chicago Fire FC vision, mission and Style of Play
Support in the implementation and education of positional responsibilities and integrate practiced routines to breed automaticity
Contribute to talent identification and scouting in a variety of capacities
Give players individual feedback on performance in training and games including video clips
Conduct goal setting and performance review discussions with staff on an annual basis
Work collaboratively with staff members to implement and execute Chicago Fire FC Mission, Objectives, Strategy, and Tactics (MOST).
Create development plans and performance goals throughout with short and long-term goals
Identify players and helps shape the roster in collaboration with Staff members
Help manage the player roster and positional depth chart
Support and collaborate with Chicago Fire FC MLS Next Pro and MLS Next teams creating positional profiles for depth development and integrated alignment between our Teams
Prepare opponent analysis presentation and present it to the team for all opponents
Focused on detail of all phases in pre-match scouting, training, in-game, and post-match analysis
- Build up GK
- Build up MF
- Finishing attacks
- Offensive Transition (supporting)
- Defensive Transition
- High Press
- Mid-Block Defending
- Low Block Defending
Scout opponent and prepare material surrounding game plan for upcoming games
Provide thoughts for coaching staff discussion on all phases
Design and lead/assist head coach in team exercises during training sessions
Organize and lead small group functional and individual training sessions
Organize and lead small group and individual positional meetings on in-possession strategies
Lead individual development programs of designated players
Contribute to discussions with Technical Staff around game plan variations
Help develop in-game metric and statistics which facilitate the tracking of team and individual performance
Analysis and coding of team performance to support team and individual feedback
Outside of camp lead research projects and case studies of best practices to continue to develop our in-possession game model
Track and observe youth players in the player pathway
Collaborate with all the specialized coaches in an effort to support and strengthen our principles of play and game model
In collaboration with other coaches, develop and deliver leading, innovative, evidence based in-possession tactical strategies within our framework that create competitive advantages for our team.
In collaboration with other coaches, develop detailed positional player profiles for the in-possession model

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree or higher
In-depth knowledge of soccer
Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, demanding environment
Must possess a valid U.S. Soccer A License or UEFA equivalent
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook)
Comprehensive understanding of the MLS player pool and league structure
Experience in navigating and managing within tournament formats
Fluent in English with excellent written and verbal communication
Highly driven and proactive, with a commitment to personal and professional growth
Proven ability to remain composed and effective under high-pressure situations
Embodies a ‘WE’ mentality with a growth-oriented approach
Ability to exhibit a calm and confident sideline behavior during games
Strong ability to engage with players holistically, valuing both their on-field and off-field development
Detail-oriented approach to coaching the technical qualities asked of players and team-specific assignments
Open-minded for other factors/ideas that can help in reaching our goals and winning games
Must be able to connect “micro” details to the “macro” vision and mission
Willing to travel and work non-traditional hours, including evenings and weekends, to meet role demands.

Preferred Qualifications

Deep commitment and enthusiasm for the game of soccer
Bilingual with proficiency in both English and Spanish
Understanding and integration of high performance and physical periodization
Analysis skillset before and during games identifying the opportunities and weaknesses of our opponent
Proven ability to assess and address factors that promote and inhibit positive change
Thorough institutional knowledge of vision, mission, goals, technical plan, policies, practices, and procedures
Previous experience with a professional soccer club or national team, experience at the highest level of competition

Please note:

Chicago Fire FC is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Our diversity initiatives start with the recruitment and selection process; therefore, we’d like to welcome all diverse candidates to apply to opportunities within our Club.
CFFC is committed to providing equal employment opportunity and maintaining a workplace for employees and applicants for employment that is free from discrimination. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, age, veteran or military status, disability, sexual orientation, sexual orientation or expression, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training.
- If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact the People and Culture Department at [email protected] to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

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