It has not been a successful run for the Chicago Fire. Andrew Hauptman was a contemptible owner, the club was jettisoned to the doomed Bridgeview, stuck in the doldrums of Major League Soccer, rarely competitive on the pitch and even more insignificant off it.
The Fire were spiralling out of control, and out of relevancy. For one of the stalwarts of MLS, in the third-largest city in the United States, one that is steeped in sporting history and passion, that is a crying shame.
And so, when Hauptman sold his majority share earlier this year and Joe Mansueto took over the reins as the Chicago Fire owner, the inevitable change that was to come was surely going to be positive, right?