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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