BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Frank Klopas considered himself a lucky man when he picked Patrick Nyarko with the seventh pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft, his first pick as technical director of the Chicago Fire.
Four years later, that pick is still paying dividends. The the Fire announced on Thursday that they have re-signed the speedy Ghanaian.
“He was high going into the draft and we were lucky to get him,” Klopas told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday. “He’s a great pro. He comes in with a very positive attitude every day to work. He’s an easy one to have around.”
The 26-year-old Nyarko has led the Fire in assists twice in his four-year career. The club picked up his option for 2012 last December, but talks for his extension were put on hold when he switched agencies.
Finally, the multi-year deal is done, and Nyarko said he’d be happy to stay in Chicago for the rest of his career.
“I’ll pretty much be 30 years old when the contract comes to an end,” Nyarko told MLSsoccer.com. “I would like to [stay here]. If I’m still in MLS, I wouldn’t want to play for any other team but Chicago.”
Nyarko was called into Ghana’s national team for their Feb. 29 friendly against Chile in Philadelphia, and has started all three of the Fire’s games in 2012. He made his 99th career appearance on Sunday at Colorado to move into 14th on the club’s all-time appearance list.
“It’s great for us to keep him at his age,” Klopas said. “He got called into the national team, and he would’ve had some options. For us to keep him is a very good step forward.”
