Just two weeks after suffering two fractured ribs and pneumothorax at Philadelphia, Fire captain Logan Pause took the next steps to recovery, returning to training to do running and light ball work.
Logan Pause: Taking the Lead
“I did some light stuff last week on my own and over the weekend but today was the first back with the team and it’s great to be back on the field.”
Pause suffered the injury following a 25th minute collision with former teammate Bakary Soumare in the 3-1 victory on August 12. He came out of the match for a few minutes but re-entered and played another 16 minutes before making way for Patrick Nyarko.
Two weeks later, his pneumothorax has healed and he continues to get more comfortable with his two broken ribs.
“The pain is moderate,” he said. “Some things and movements are more painful than others but I’m moving along and I’m happy with the progress so far.”
Thus far Pause has missed two matches, watching as the Fire downed New England 2-1 on August 18 but also struggle to get any foothold during a 4-2 loss to D.C. last Wednesday.
For a player that has been a near constant in the Fire lineup the past 10 seasons, not being involved in either result was difficult to swallow.
“As a competitor, if we win games and I’m not a part of it, I’m frustrated. Against D.C., I don’t think there’s any extra bit of frustration. On the night I’m not sure I would have done anything differently to prevent us from dropping points. Those games happen and it’s not going to be the last time this club has a bad one.
“It’s important to remember we have a strong enough group to bounce back and look forward to this Sunday vs. Houston.”
Originally scheduled to be out 4-6 weeks, by that timeline, the very earliest Pause could return is in the September 12 game at Toronto. While the sign of him running Monday was a good thing, the Fire captain refused to put down a specific time-table for his return to the field.
“I think we’re trying to be smart about this,” he said. “Right now we’re trying to take things day by day, progressing along and doing a little bit more activity. I would hate to put a restriction or boundary on when my return will be but I’m feeling like I’m getting better which is the important thing.”
