Chicago Fire FC have fired head coach Ezra Hendrickson, with Frank Klopas stepping in as interim manager for the remainder of 2023 as the club searches for a permanent replacement.

The club has also parted ways with assistant coach Junior González, while assistant coach C.J. Brown and goalkeeper coach Zach Thornton are to remain in their current roles.

“This was a difficult decision, but after careful consideration, we felt that a change was necessary at this time as we work toward our goal of advancing to the playoffs and competing for trophies,” said Chicago Fire Sporting Director, Georg Heitz.

“We’d like to thank Ezra and Junior for their efforts during the past two seasons, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

Hendrickson first joined the Fire in 2021, and compiled a 12-18-14 regular season record across the last two seasons. He failed to lift the Fire to anything worthwhile, concluding the 2022 campaign in 12th place on the Eastern Conference table.

The team currently sits in 14th place with 11 points in 10 games and a record of 2W-3L-5D.

Despite ongoing investment from the board and a couple of interesting signings, like Designated Player Xherdan Shaqiri and Gaston Gimenez, the team has not qualified to playoffs since 2017.

This article was originally published on 90min as Chicago Fire fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson .