BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. ā For Chicago Fire left back Gonzalo Segares, the road to regaining his form hasnāt been a smooth one.
When Segares left for European shores in January 2010, he did so with an established reputation of being one of the top defenders in MLS. His excellent form during his first stint in the Windy City from 2005-09 earned him regular call-ups to the Costa Rican national team and grabbed the attention of Cypriot side Apollon Limassol.
Segaresā European adventure, though, didnāt last long. After only 12 league appearances, he decided he had had enough and returned to MLS, rejoining the Fire in August.
Chicago expected the 28-year-old left back to give their backline a big boost, but he apparently left his form in Cyprus. Segares struggled and took a while to regain full fitness, which limited him to only six matches before an injury sidelined him for the seasonās final month.
[inline_node:331680]āIt was definitely hard for me last year,ā Segares told MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday. āIt was really frustrating.ā
Segares carried that frustration into preseason, using it as motivation to work hard with first-year strength and conditioning coach Tony Jouaux to ensure that he began this season in top shape.
āThis year, my mentality was to prepare myself well fitness-wise,ā Segares said. āTonyās been a lot of help for me. He keeps us always fresh and always doing exercises to try and prevent injuries. I think thatās something that really helped me through preseason.ā
The hard work seems to have paid off. Segares has played well in the first two matches of the season, shutting down reigning MLS MVP David Ferreira in the Fireās season-opening draw at FC Dallas and performed solidly for most of the Fireās March 26 win over Sporting Kansas City.
āOverall, I feel pretty happy,ā said Segares. āIām getting better. I donāt feel like Iām at the top yet, but now that Iām playing again as a left back and getting back my legs and my fitness, everythingās feeling better and Iām more confident and will hopefully keep improving.ā
Segaresā performances havenāt been lost on Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos, who is more than happy with how his defender is playing, especially in the attack, where heās combined well and provided good support to dangerous winger Marco Pappa.
ā[Segares] has the strength to move forward,ā de los Cobos said. āHeās making good work.ā
āIām very satisfied with the performance of Gonzalo,ā added the Mexican boss. āHeās an important player. He has experience and he can help the other guys on the field. And when he feels confident, itās much, much better because he gives confidence to the other guys.ā
Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @samstejskal.