BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Chicago Fire midfielder Pável Pardo didn’t practice on Tuesday and may miss his third straight game when the Fire head to Kansas City on Friday for a matchup of the Eastern Conference’s top two teams.
Pardo missed the Fire’s 3-1 win over Montreal with hamstring tightness, and he was optimistic early last week that he’d be able to return for the Fire’s game against Columbus on Saturday. But when he tried to ease back into training last Tuesday, the 36-year-old injured his calf.
“It’s getting better,” Pardo said. “Sometimes with muscles, you have to wait and recover. I feel better. We’ll see maybe next week.”
SEE: Complete MLS Injury Report
Pardo’s absence has opened the door for Alex to start, and the Brazilian midfielder has taken up a more offensive position than his Mexican counterpart, forcing Logan Pause to sit further back in the midfield.
Despite the absences of Pardo and Pause, who missed two games last month with a rib injury, the Fire have won seven out of their last eight games.
The Fire play two games next week, against the Philadelphia Union at home on Wednesday and in New York on Saturday. Pardo may return for one or both of those games.
“I’m glad it’s now and not in the end. I will see every day how I feel, how the muscle progresses,” Pardo said. “Sometimes it’s like that, so many games, so many minutes I was playing during the season. But I’m okay. I feel better day by day.”
