Chicago (0-0-0) at Real Salt Lake (0-0-0)

Several new additions helped the Chicago Fire come within one game of the MLS Cup final last year.

The offseason did not go nearly as well.

Following the departures of their coach and starting goalkeeper as well a trade demand from their top defender, the Fire have plenty to overcome as their season begins Saturday when they visit revamped Real Salt Lake.

In July, Chicago hired Juan Carlos Osorio as coach and had forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco join the team as its offensive centerpiece, while Wilman Conde was signed to stabilize the defense.

The trio helped the Fire overcome a sluggish start to 2007 and qualify for the playoffs on the last day of the regular season with a 10-10-10 record. They went on to upset MLS-leading D.C. United in the first playoff round before losing 1-0 at New England in the Eastern Conference final.

After that resurgence, Chicago’s offseason took a surprising turn in December when Osorio resigned as coach to join the New York Red Bulls due to “family reasons.” The Fire received draft picks and cash as compensation for the switch before turning to longtime assistant Denis Hamlett, who helped the Fire to the 1998 MLS Cup and four U.S. Open Cup titles.

“This is a position I’ve been working towards for a long time,” Hamlett told the team’s official Web site. “There is no other place that I’d rather take this club. I’m looking forward to continuing that winning tradition.”

Only two weeks on the job, Hamlett had to deal with the free-agent departure of goalkeeper Matt Pickens, who signed with England’s Queens Park Rangers. That caused Chicago to draft Tulsa’s Dominic Cervi 12th overall in the SuperDraft, only to have him reject a contract offer Thursday as he tries to find a European club.

That leaves veteran Jon Busch to start in net. Busch, who went 1-2-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average last season, hasn’t held a starting job since knee injuries limited him to 17 total games in 2005 and 2006 with Columbus.

Conde, meanwhile, made a public request to be traded to New York. The team held on to the Colombian, but his role is uncertain.

Offensively, Blanco should continue to fill the playmaking duty after posting four goals and seven assists in 14 games last year. The 35-year-old Mexican had a goal and an assist in the Fire’s 2-0 win at Salt Lake on Aug. 18 after he missed the teams’ scoreless tie on May 27.

Blanco hopes to find some chemistry with Tomasz Frankowski, a 33-year-old forward looking to revive his career after a knee injury led to his release from England side Wolverhampton Wanderers in August.

Frankowski has 10 goals in 22 games for Poland, but his best seasons came with Wisla Krakow from 1998-2005 when he scored 115 goals in 173 games.

Salt Lake, which is scheduled to open a new stadium later this season, is hoping 13 new players can lead to the first playoff berth in franchise history. The additions came after a 6-15-9 record and a last-place finish in the West in 2007.

“The biggest thing is we want to be a club that competes for things,” RSL coach Jason Kreis said. “We want to be a club that starts a winning tradition.”

One of RSL’s key signings was Kenny Deuchar from Gretna of the Scottish Premier League. The forward had 63 goals in 90 games over four seasons, scoring twice in his final game - a 4-2 loss to league-leaders Glasgow Rangers on Feb. 24.

Dema Kovalenko, a noted agitator, was acquired in a trade from New York in an effort to add some aggressiveness to the midfield.

“Dema’s a different type of a player than we currently have in our midfield,” Real general manager Garth Lagerwey said. “He’s a hard player, more of a piano carrier than a piano player.”