Navarro to miss several weeks; Doumbia awaiting visa

For the Chicago Fire, an upcoming three-match homestand against Nashville SC, CF Montréal, and Toronto FC is quite possibly the most important stretch of the season thus far. Frank Klopas’ team managed to extract six points from a possible nine during their difficult roadtrip over the last two weeks, winning at Portland and Kansas City, and will need to be at their best to maintain that form going forward. Klopas, as well as defender Miguel Ángel Navarro, spoke to the media today ahead of this weekend’s match, and provided some key updates crucial to the upcoming games.

Fede Navarro out for several weeks

It was midway through last week that U22 midfielder Fede Navarro was reported to have picked up an injury in training, one which caused him to miss the game against Orlando at the weekend. The injury, which was to Navarro’s right lower leg, will keep him out three to four weeks, according to Klopas.

“That's a tough one for us,” he said this afternoon. “He's just such a key guy within our team. It's hard to replace.”

The 23-year-old from Argentina has started the vast majority of matches when available, though he did miss an extended period at the start of the season as he was hurt 12 minutes into the first game of 2023. His importance to the group cannot be understated, and the partnership between Navarro and Gastón Giménez in the midfield double pivot has been one of the team’s strongest assets over the last two years.

“Fede was in top form and he just does so many little things for the team,” Klopas said after the last match on Saturday. “He runs just so much for everyone else. So it's not going to be easy to replace but everyone else just has to step up.”

Doumbia still awaiting visa

The MLS summer transfer window opened today, and teams are already starting to conduct business. Real Salt Lake officially welcomed Chicho Arango, Minnesota United added Teemu Pukki from Norwich, and earlier today, and Montréal acquired Kwadwo Opoku in a trade. The Fire have already made one DP signing, but it isn’t a center forward like the other three, despite what had been anticipated for months.

Of course, it is Ousmane Doumbia, who joins on loan from sister club Lugano. The transfer was announced last week. A central midfielder, he’ll likely take the place of the injured Navarro in the lineup as soon as he is able to arrive. While the Fire will have to wait for their new Ivorian DP to acquire a visa, it shouldn’t be too long.

“It's such a key, the arrival of Doumbia. It couldn't come sooner,” Klopas says. “Maybe he can be available to fly here at some point next week, but as of right now, I haven't heard any updates yet.”

In the meantime, Mauricio Pineda and Fabian Herbers will be tasked with holding down the central midfield. Pineda started there in Orlando, where he admittedly found some difficulty, having played his best soccer this season as a center back. Herbers is also not by any means a natural #6, so playing there from the start is also not ideal, but he has been serviceable there this season, though he’s best in a more advanced role.

Homegrown options, including incredibly promising Sergio Oregel and slightly more experienced Javi Casas, have been mostly ignored by the first team this season, but represent more natural central midfield replacements should they be needed.

Navarro, Aceves compete for starting job

For most of this season, Miguel Ángel Navarro has been the go-to man at left back, as he has been for the four years he’s been in Chicago. Ever since the international break in mid-June, though, it hasn’t been so clear cut; Mexican loan signing Alonso Aceves has started all of the last three games and has performed fairly well, especially in the win over Portland.

Now back from international duty and ready to go, Navarro is looking to win back the starting job, and recognizes the benefits of having two quality players in the squad.

“I think that it's a healthy, good competition,” the Venezuelan says. “[Alonso]’s a very good player. He's a player who came to add much to our group and be a big part of it. He's a very dynamic player, and he gives us a very dynamic option. He's a very important player for this team.”

Who gets the nod this weekend remains to be seen, though it does seem likely that Navarro will return to the XI. On the opposite side, there will be a guaranteed change, as Arnaud Souquet received a red card in the previous match, so it is more than likely that Jonathan Dean will start there. Changes on both sides will give the team a different look, but the pace of Dean, in particular, could be an asset.