BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – It’s looking more and more likely that Pável Pardo will be back in Chicago next season.
At the end of the season, the 36-year-old Mexican midfielder said that he’d like to re-sign with Chicago before his five-month contract expired in December. He reiterated that desire on Wednesday, telling reporters that he and his agent have already had positive discussions with the Fire’s front office.
“I’m trying to get the next year,” said Pardo, who is hoping to sign a deal by the end of November. “We’re talking; my agent is talking with [club president Julian Posada]. They want me back and of course I want to come back, too."
Pardo, who said that he’d like to play for at least two more years, was a big part of Chicago’s late-season turnaround, scoring one goal and adding five assists in 13 league games after signing with the Fire in late July.
Fire owner Andrew Hauptman and head coach Frank Klopas have both said they want Pardo to remain in Chicago in 2012. Klopas played a key role in bringing Pardo to the Fire, courting the former Stuttgart midfielder for several years before signing him to a deal this summer.
“It’s great that the guy wants to be here, it’s fantastic,” Klopas told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday. “We want the guy here, and I’m sure it’s going to get worked out. We’re finishing Friday with the last day of training, and I’ve been meeting with the players in season-ending meetings, so I’m sure things will move forward when we finish training.”
Pardo also addressed a Mexican report on Wednesday that quoted Atlas manager Juan Carlos Chávez saying he’d like Pardo on his squad. The two-time World Cup veteran said he hasn’t had any contact with the Guadalajara-based team.
“No, no, no, I didn’t talk with Atlas,” said Pardo, who played for the club from 1993 to 1998. “I heard about the rumors, but I didn’t talk with anybody. I’m here, and I’m playing for the Chicago Fire.”
Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. E-mail him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com.
