One big hire down for the Chicago Fire, one more to go.
The Fire named Georg Heitz as the team’s new sporting director on Friday. The Swiss executive held the same position at FC Basel from 2012-2017. He will take over soccer operations from Nelson Rodriguez, who has been the team’s general manager since late 2015.
Rodriguez will retain his other title of team president. He has been in that role, overseeing the business operations of the club, since Jan. 2018. Given Rodriguez’s experience with the nuances of MLS salary cap rules and Heitz being a newcomer to the league and the country, it would be surprising to see Rodriguez completely step away from roster decisions and transactions.