It was another disappointing season for the Chicago Fire in 2016, one that saw the club finish last in MLS for a second consecutive year.

New appointments to General Manager and Head Coach may have brought excitement to long-suffering Fire supporters, but Nelson Rodriguez’s vision was unable to yield quick results.

But lo and behold, Rodriguez has given the fans a couple of  Christmas presents that prove that the organization is pushing towards the right direction. A Champions League striker and MLS Cup winner could possibly be the pieces that finally lift the Fire from rock bottom as the FIre have kickstarted the offseason with some solid signings.

Here is a closer look at what’s been done and what’s left to be done heading into the new year:

WHO’S IN

Nemanja Nikolic, Juninho

WHO’S OUT

Sean Johnson, Patrick McClain, Razvan Cocis, Eric Gehrig, Nick LaBrocca, Alex Morrell, Rodrigo Ramos, Michael Stephens, Luis Solignac, Khaly Thiam

DRAFT

1st Round: No. 3 overall, No. 11 overall (Acquired from Philadelphia Union for Alejandro Bedoya allocation)

2nd Round: No. 25 overall

3rd Round: No. 47 overall

4th Round: No. 69 overall

REMAINING NEEDS

After finishing the year with a record of 7-17-10, it would be difficult to say there is any position that can’t be improved. But the addition of key attackerin  Nikolic and a veteran midfielder in Juninho means that we’re likely to say defensive or two-way additions. But Rodriguez made a number of long-term defensive signings last season that he’ll hope will pull through after adjusting to the league.

The obvious holes that exist in the roster are a quality goalkeeper to replace Sean Johnson, a box-to-box central midfielder, and depth on the wings to supplement an injury-prone David Accam and aging Arturo Alvarez.

OUTLOOK

It isn’t going out on a limb to say the Fire will finish higher in 2017 than the previous two seasons, but its possible they achieve enough to shock the league.

Nikolic has the potential to set the league on fire. The Hungarian forward was a proven goalscorer in the Polish league, scoring 41 goals in 56 matches. For the first time in quite awhile, the Fire appear to have a reliable goalscoring presence, one that brings Champions League experience and a bit of upside at just 28-years-old.

Meanwhile, the pedigree of former LA Galaxy starter Juninho is proven, and a young backline could provide stability after a full season playing together. Jonathan Campbell looked strong throughout 2016, offering a rock at the back, while Brandon Vincent continued to grow as a young fullback. Add in Matt Polster as a deep-lying midfielder and the Fire have a young core that will look to make another jump in 2017.

The playoffs have got to be the goal for Paunovic and Rodriguez next season, but a noticeable improvement from the last several years will likely be enough for the duo to keep their plan moving forward.