Conde could have been a Chicago legend. Plucked from Colombia last summer just in time to invigorate a moribund team (with a little help from a certain Mexican) and help drive the Fire into the playoffs, he became an instant fan favorite.

Pages and pages of the Section 8 forums were dedicated to praising the new legend in recent months, his monstrous mullet and his fierce devotion to crushing all opponents inspiring endless pithy epithets. Users like Chileno18 spoke of his power with awe:

at night, wilman conde keeps his lights on, because the dark is afraid of him.

CONDE > chuck norris

Then, as we discovered this week, it turned out Wilman did not feel the same way about Chicago. He wants out. The man who had brought him to the Fire, Juan Carlos Osorio, was once again calling Conde, and as far back as last December Wilman apparently informed Fire management of his desire to rejoin Osorio in the greener pastures of New Jersey (green, certainly, is the right color to mention whenever JCO is involved).

Conde going public with his demand has left everyone from Fire management to the fans in something of a quandary. His disloyalty particularly stings after Fire fans had embraced him so quickly.

The Fire Front Office have said little publicly. Soccer By Ives reported that the Red Bulls had offered a large package including speedy youngster Dane Richards, but it seems Fire management is unwilling to deal with a team that recently poached its coach and is now going after its star defender.

Former Fire President and GM Peter Wilt blogged that were he standing in the shoes of Guppy and Klopas today, he'd also wait to try and squeeze more from the Red Bulls.

There's going to come a point in this season - probably sooner than later - when the Red Bulls are on a losing streak, are giving up goals aplenty and Dema is complaining to JCO.

That's when the leverage will be shifted to Chicago's side and that's when i would make a deal - if at all.

Peter's right. The Fire cannot allow themselves to be shoehorned into making a deal that isn't an ideal fit, just to get rid of a potential headache. Strengthening a Conference rival is hardly wise on a rational level, and on an emotional one, giving in to Conde and another move verging on tampering by the Red Bulls would do little for the team's reputation.

The danger is that the team has been weakened already where Conde is most effective, and losing him would leave a giant hole to fill. As a defender, as NotAbbott never tires of pointing out, Conde could verge on being a liability with his gung-ho charges, but as a defensive midfielder alongside a veteran pro such as Chris Armas, his value was immense.

But Armas has gone, and losing Conde too would leave the Fire weak where they need to be strong -- to make up for Blanco's minimal defensive contribution in midfield -- and with little cover in defense, given the departure of Jim Curtin and the age of CJ Brown.

There is still plenty of time before the season starts for this turmoil to smooth over. If the Fire keep Conde, he'll soon realise that if he wants to be in the shop window and earn the big money move to Europe he surely salivates for, he will have to do it with some sterling displays for the Fire.

He's already marked himself out as a man with character-issues by going public with his trade demand. Potential suitors will be impressed if he makes up for this by reminding Fire fans why they had a 16-page thread dedicated to the Power of Conde in the first place. Then everyone can cash in, and move on.

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