BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Chicago Fire winger Patrick Nyarko has revealed that he has been playing with an ankle injury for most of the 2010 campaign.
“The medical staff have done a good job of trying to maintain it,” Nyarko told MLSsoccer.com after practice on Thursday. “We really didn’t have enough time to sit and rest it, so I just go along with it. Sometimes, if I really need it during games, I get shots to minimize the pain.”
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The Ghanaian says the pain originates from bone spurs in his right ankle and that he’ll likely have surgery to clean up the area during the offseason. On Thursday, he sat out the latter part of training and watched from the sidelines as his teammates played in a game of keep-away.
After starting the first 13 matches of the 2010 league campaign, Nyarko has since started seven of the last 15 matches. Although his goal production has been down – just one goal in 2010 – he has registered a career-high eight assists.
The ankle ailment, which Nyarko said emerged after the first few matches of the season, won’t keep him from being available for Friday’s do-or-die match against the Columbus Crew at Toyota Park (9 p.m. ET).
“I really don’t think about it,” said Nyarko. “It’s a day-to-day thing, but I’m OK. I treat it and I feel fine for the game.”
