BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Mike Magee will make his much-anticipated comeback from injury this weekend, but it won’t be in a Chicago Fire shirt.
The 2013 MLS MVP has been loaned to the Fire’s USL affiliate Saint Louis FC, and he is in line to face Louisville City FC this Saturday, along with fellow Fire loanee Kingsley Bryce.
Magee has been out for nine months following operations on his hip and knee, which have denied the Fire the services of their marquee striker at a time when their forward players have found the going tough in front of goal.
“As Mike is now in the final stretch in his return from surgery, we thought that it would be good for him to join Saint Louis FC for the weekend to gain additional match fitness,” Fire head coach Frank Yallop said in a statement released by the club Friday.
Incidentally, the Men in Red will meet Louisville in the Fourth Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on June 16, so perhaps Magee will be in a position to double up with some scouting work on the Fire's future opponent.
Magee impressed with his finishing during a competitive scrimmage at training on Tuesday, showing his teammates and Yallop what they’ve been missing with several superb strikes as he continues his rehabilitation from hip surgery.
Perhaps with one eye on his loan to St. Louis, which is expected to be for just the weekend, Yallop told MLSsoccer.com Tuesday: “He’s been out a while but it’s good for Mike to get playing in a competitive environment, because training is one thing, but actually playing a real team is what it’s all about.”
And while Magee is understandably keen to pull on the Fire shirt as soon as possible, Yallop knows he has to manage his return with caution and patience if they are to avoid any complications or further injury.
“We’ve talked earlier in the week and he obviously wants to be involved, but we’ve got to make sure it’s right for the club, me, him, the doctors and everybody,” Yallop insisted. “We don’t to just chuck him in and all of a sudden he’s gone backwards, and I want him to do well, not struggle. There’s a lot that goes into it, we’ll talk on Thursday and figure it out for the weekend.”
Magee and Bryce will link up with two other Fire players who were already on loan with the USL side, goalkeeper Alec Kann and defender Patrick Doody.
The Fire host the Montreal Impact and a glut of former players on Saturday, and depending on how his time with Saint Louis goes, Magee could come into the equation for next Wednesday’s trip to D.C. United or the Fire's home clash against Orlando City on Saturday, June 6.
Another long-term absentee on the road to recovery is winger Patrick Nyarko, who returned to competitive training this week. Yallop has suggested he could figure in his plans for the Open Cup clash on June 16 or the Fire's home game with D.C. on June 24.
“Patrick joined in today so he’s getting closer,” Yallop told reporters Monday. “I think Mike’s ahead of Patrick, but Patrick looked ok today, he’s a ways off still but at least he joined in and did ok. It’s a long haul back but it’s good to have them back in training and back in the swing of things.”
