Klopas provides Brady, Navarro updates as Fire gear up for Orlando rematch
The Chicago Fire’s Leagues Cup hangover is now complete, and it’s time to jump right back into the MLS season and they look to make a push to maintain a playoff spot for the first time in six years. Soldier Field will welcome fifth-placed Orlando City, a team fresh off of a valiant but ultimately losing effort at Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, and while they will be a tough test, it is another great opportunity for the Fire to gain three more valuable points at home.
Head Coach Frank Klopas and defender Carlos Terán both spoke with the media this Wednesday, and we have all the latest updates as the Fire gear up for their return to first-team action on Sunday.
Chris Brady still day-to-day, Kamara set to return
Late on in the Fire’s recent Leagues Cup loss to Club América, an injury to 19-year-old breakout star goalkeeper Chris Brady rubbed further salt in the wound of what was quickly souring into a bitter evening. Brady had been solid on the night, as he has been all season, but game off hurt as he experienced discomfort in his back.
The young shot-stopper could still be back in time for Sunday’s showdown with Orlando, but that is still to be determined. Klopas stated that his status is officially day-to-day, though whether or not he trains in the coming days will be an indicator of his availability. If Brady is out, Spencer Richey will likely step into the net, with Jeff Gal taking his place on the bench.
Veteran center forward Kei Kamara, who missed the Fire’s last two Leagues Cup matches as he had been granted permission to take some time away for personal reasons, will also seemingly be available to return; the only player who isn’t able to be a part of the group at the moment is Chris Mueller, who is on the season-ending injury list.
Competition breeds excellence
Midfielder Federico Navarro returned from a weeks-long injury layoff when he stepped on the field in the second half against América, setting the stage for a battle for the starting job in central midfield. Entering the year, Navarro was perceived as the team’s best center midfielder, and one of the its most important players, but inconsistency fueled in large part by a number of injuries has limited his reliablity. Now, with Ousmane Doumbia arriving as a loan DP and immediately looking the part, as well as Gastón Giménez playing some of his best soccer in a Fire shirt, Navarro will have to fight his way back into the XI.
“Competition only brings out best in people,” Klopas said. “I think another thing with the break right now, it's given an opportunity to Navarro to continue to build his confidence in his fitness in training. He's looking sharper and better with every session, so I think it's going to be really important to have everyone the best that they can be, because these [upcoming] 11 matches, there will be periods where we'll play four games in 13 days.”
The aforementioned Doumbia, who has made an excellent first impression in his first three appearance since he was signed from Lugano, may only be a loan, but if he keeps performing the way he is now, it would be shocking if the Fire didn’t go back in for him in the winter. Though he would likely need to be signed to a non-DP contract, freeing up that tag for a potential new sporting director to maneuver, the Ivorian number six is showing the quality of one of the most elite MLS players in his position so far.
Keeping things rolling
Before MLS paused its season for a long break that contained both the All-Star game and the entirety of Leagues Cup, the Chicago Fire found themselves on the best run of form that the club has seen in years. With five wins from their last six MLS games, Klopas’ team was cooking something special, and in just a few weeks, the season went from seemingly hopeless to suddenly sitting pretty in a playoff spot. Carlos Terán, who played 90 minutes in all three of the Fire’s Leagues Cup matches, is optimistic that the team can return to that level once again.
“The atmosphere on the team is always very high, and we are always motivated,” he says. “From the very first game, we had a very clear objective, which is to give everything that we have in every game we play in. So from the beginning of the season, that's been our goal and we have given everything that we have on the field, and we continue to work hard.”
“[Leagues Cup] wasn't any type of distraction. We participated in the three tournaments, and we wanted all three tournaments to be one in which the Fire went far. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way, so now we have here to focus on league play to get to the playoffs. We know that we have the ability to get to the playoffs, and we are focusing on this short-term objective.”
