The Chicago Fire have announced the soccer operations staff to join coach Veljko Paunovic for the upcoming season.
Longtime Fire player Logan Pause is an assistant coach along with two members of Paunovic’s staff from Serbia’s U-20 World Cup championship. Assistant coach Marko Mitrovic and goalkeeper coach Aleksandar Saric followed Paunovic from Serbia to Chicago. Jordan Webb was named the strength and conditioning coach.
Mitrovic, who holds a UEFA A license, had a 14-year pro career as a midfielder playing in his native Serbia as well as Hungary, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. The 37-year-old began his coaching career in 2010 as the first assistant for FK Banat in the Serbian First Division. Since then, he has worked at the youth levels in Serbia. First, he led the Red Star Belgrade U-16 side in 2013 and has been as assistant for the Serbian youth national teams, working with the U-18, U-19 and U-20 sides, since August of 2012.
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Pause is a familiar name to Fire fans after spending his entire 12-year pro career with the Men in Red. Since retiring after the 2014 season, Pause was named club vice president. He also served as an assistant on the interim staff of Brian Bliss last season. Pause, 34, holds a USSF A license.
Saric had a 24-year playing career with stops all over Europe and holds a UEFA A license. It is worth noting that even at just 41 years old, Saric is the oldest member of the coaching staff.
Webb played college soccer at Missouri Valley College and holds a USSF D license. He has worked for the Seattle Sounders, Cleveland Browns and Oklahoma City Thunder.