BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Frank Yallop admitted the absence of joint-top scorer and reigning MLS MVP Mike Magee after his season-ending hip surgery Monday will be a “big loss” for the Chicago Fire.
Magee scored a spectacular 15 goals in 22 games after arriving from the LA Galaxy in May of last year. But the striker has struggled this with a succession of hamstring, calf and hip problems, which ultimately brought his season to a premature end following surgery in Vail, Colo.
“What he did last year was great, and we felt he was going to have a good year. He’s had a few injuries this season, and I think it’s all related back to the hip,” Yallop told reporters after open practice at Toyota Park on Thursday. “Someone like Mike, when he’s out of the team, you miss his quality in games."
Magee faces a six- to eight-month recovery, according to the club, which could see him return to action for the start of the 2015 campaign. The Fire are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, seven points out of the fifth and final MLS Cup Playoff spot, with eight games remaining.
“Right now is about the right time to do it because he couldn’t carry on,” Yallop said. “He tried to give it a go the last couple of weeks, and it wasn’t helping. … I spoke to him, the surgery went well, it was three sore things and just clearing up a lot of things that needed to be cleared up.
“They were long-term soccer injuries, wear and tear type things, and the best thing for us is that he’s got it done and hopefully he’ll be OK for preseason.”
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Magee scored seven goals in 17 sporadic appearances this year to put him in a tie for the club’s top scorer alongside Quincy Amarikwa and second in assists with four.
Captain Jeff Larentowicz also admitted Magee’s absence will be tough for the Fire, but with the recent additions of Robert Earnshaw and recently signed Florent Sinama-Pongolle, he expects someone else to “step up” and fill the void left by their talismanic striker.
“It’s unfortunate. I think Mike had a tough year, it was kind of up and down, stop start for him and I think it’s nothing that we wanted to happen at all,” Larentowicz said. “It’s a difficult injury and long recovery but for us it will be tough because he has given us goals this year and down the stretch to win games we’re going to need goals, so someone else is going to have to step up.”
