Chicago Fire Head Coach Talks Being Back In The Midwest, Preparing Team Ahead Of Regular Season

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Ezra Hendrickson has had quite the week as he starts his first season as an MLS head coach. He celebrated his 50th birthday Sunday by popping the question and getting engaged.

And now he's running the show for the first time with the fire. Albeit in balmy Orlando as opposed to here with us in Chicago. Their first preseason game isn't until a week from Saturday.

But with a young team he and his staff are still getting to know, he's simply trying to teach these players how he wants to play.

"You know for me it's excitement, you know I'm very confident in my abilities to turn this thing around. Like you said, it hasn't been so good lately but I think with the staff that I put together, we have what it takes to really get these players to, you know, be successful and bring this organization back to where it once was," Hendrickson said.

When asked how it feels to be back in the midwest and not too far from where he played soccer in college, he said the most exciting thing is that his dad still lives a couple of hours away in Indiana.

"I'm very close to him, so that ability to be close to him and have family members close to me is very exciting times. So I'm happy."

Hendrickson has just over five weeks before the fire opens the regular season on the road in Miami on Feb. 26.