CHICAGO - The Chicago Fire have announced that the club's all-time scoring leader Ante Razov will undergo surgery on his right ankle on August 11 to remove a bone spur and debris. According to the Fire's head athletic trainer Jason Mathews, the striker is expected to miss the rest of the Fire's 2004 regular season campaign, as the estimated time of rehabilitation will be 3-4 months. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Preston Wolin at St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago.
Razov, 30, sustained the injury on July 3 in a game against the Columbus Crew and was forced to exit the match in the 80th minute. The forward has since missed seven games, including two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup games. Prior to the injury, Razov - one of only four remaining 'Fire Originals' - appeared in 13 games (starting 11), scoring four goals and adding two assists for 10 points in his seventh season with Chicago.
A member of Chicago's four championship teams (MLS Cup '98 and 1998, 2000 and 2003 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups), Razov has led Chicago's offensive corps since his arrival in 1998. In 2003 he garnered his fifth Chicago Fire/Budweiser Scoring Champion title. He has made 161 career appearances, notching 192 points on 77 goals and 38 assists (Chicago and L.A. combined).
A two-time MLS All-Star, Razov was named to the MLS Best XI in 2003 after guiding Chicago to its third MLS Cup Final and helping the club to its first ever MLS Supporters Shield and Eastern Conference crown. Razov was the first player in club history to score a hat trick, a feat he has done twice (5-6-00 @ MIA and 5-19-02 @ NE) as a member of the "Men in Red."
