BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Chicago Fire center back Arne Friedrich is inching his way back to full fitness after missing the first five games of the season.
But the only way the 33-year-old is going to work his way back to full strength is to play in games, he said, and that's exactly what he hopes to do on Sunday when the Fire attempt to break the Houston Dynamo's record-setting home unbeaten streak.
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“I would like to see how it goes during the week, but I feel better and better,” Friedrich told MLSsoccer.com. “I can promise that as soon as I'm a little fit I'll be there for the team. … The real fitness you get through the games. Even if I play on Sunday, it takes me maybe four, five, six games for me to be 100 percent.”
Friedrich has felt no pain in his hamstring over the last few weeks, and fitness is his only deterrent to returning to the lineup. He's one of a few Chicago players who hope to return on Sunday, when the Fire should be close to full strength for the first time this season.
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Gonzalo Segares injured his quadriceps during last Friday's practice before missing Sunday's 3-1 win over the New York Red Bulls, but he should be back for the Fire's game in Houston.
Patrick Nyarko has trained fully after straining his hamstring last week and should also be a go for Houston, while Dilly Duka may make the bench. Both players went through vigorous conditioning training on Tuesday.
