BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – After a grueling nine-month absence, 2013 MLS MVP Mike Magee is poised to return to the Chicago Fire and fight for his place in the side’s misfiring attack.
Magee has been sidelined since last August and underwent surgery on his hip and knee last September, ending his injury-plagued 2014 campaign.
Now, after returning to training last week, the 30-year-old is aiming to make his 2015 debut on May 30 against the Montreal Impact and making an immediate impression on a Fire side (3-5-1, 10 pts) that has scored just nine goals in nine games.
“It’s been an eight month battle, one day I feel like I can climb a mountain and the next day I feel like I don’t want to get out of bed,” Magee told reporters at Toyota Park Wednesday.
“It's been a long process and obviously exciting to now be able to see the finish line. It's a little nerve-wracking, a lot of excitement. Luckily, I have a great staff around me who's advising me really well, so I'm just trying to keep my brain out of it and just listen to whatever they tell me to do.”
And while Friday’s game at Columbus Crew SC will definitely come too soon for a return, both Magee and head coach Frank Yallop believe he could see some game time at home against Montreal or on the road at D.C. United on June 3.
“I would love to play against Montreal, but that’s out of my hands,” he said. “I'm going to do my best to prepare as if I am playing in that game and try to put it in the coach's mind that my confidence is there. Hopefully they use me and put me in the team. If not, I’ll shoot for the next game.”
“He’s been working really hard with our fitness coach, so fitness won’t be an issue. He said he feels a little stiff, but I said you're moving well. I said you've never been the most fluid of players anyway,” Yallop joked. “He's doing good, doing really well.”
One player who is looking forward to Magee’s return is winger David Accam, who has learned about Magee and the impressive 21 goals that earned him the 2013 MVP award.
“I know a lot about him, I’ve heard so much about him, and I think it will be a positive for us to have him back on the team,” Accam told MLSsoccer.com. “I think at the moment our forwards are doing really well, I can’t complain about the effort and their desire to score goals. We just need to find the net, that’s the only problem now.”
While Magee has been eased slowly back into training, still working non-contact in scrimmages, he expects to step up to full contact next week.
“I feel strong, I feel fit,” he said. “Everything that's happening now kind of feels like a first. I feel like an unfit baseball player trying to play soccer, so it's a little bizarre. I've got a feeling I'll come back quick, especially if I can get into a game or two, get some minutes under my belt. I think all that stuff will come back quick.”
