BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – Second-year midfielder Chris Ritter is ready to answer the call as the Chicago Fire face a selection headache in the center of the park ahead of Sunday’s match at Sporting Kansas City (5 pm ET, ESPN2).
Head coach Frank Yallop will be without a pair of central midfielders on Sunday, with Michael Stephens still out due to an ankle injury he picked up against Toronto FC on April 4 and Matt Watson suspended after being banned for one game this week by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for his overzealous challenge on New York City FC’s Adam Nemec last weekend.
Yallop has options in Ritter, former Romanian international Razvan Cocis, Spanish newcomer Victor Perez, and local academy graduate Collin Fernandez, but it is unclear which direction he will go on Sunday in selecting a partner for impressive rookie Matt Polster.
“We’ve got Ritter, we’ve got Razvan, we’ve got Victor, we’ve got some choices,” Yallop told reporters when asked about his midfield options after Thursday’s practice. “We had a couple of scenarios here, but what we’ve got to do is be pretty solid when we are there. I’ll think about it but we’ve got some good options in that area.”
Ritter started the opening day defeat at the LA Galaxy, and was summoned from the bench in the eighth minute of the Toronto game following the early injury to Stephens. He has amassed a total of 145 minutes in two games at center mid and could add to that total at Sporting Park.
And Ritter, 24, is ready and waiting to step up should he get the call.
“Part of being a good professional is being ready for whenever your name is called,” the Winnetka, Ill. native told MLSsoccer.com. “My name has been called a couple of times this year, and you just have to be ready every game and prepare like you’re going to play.”
Ritter, who registered 636 minutes in eight starts and two substitute appearances as a rookie last year, is reaping the benefits of a productive offseason, which saw him maintain his fitness in regular sessions with teammates at the Fire’s recently opened PrivateBank Fire Pitch facility on the city’s north side.
“It was my first offseason so I was just trying to feel out what the right thing to do with my time off in the offseason and not let my game slide,” he said. “We were lucky enough to have a new indoor facility for the Fire, where we organized pickup games, with Harry [Shipp], Greg [Cochrane] and a lot of the guys from the team pretty much showed up every day or every other day. So we had competitive games in the offseason and I think that really helped leading into this season.”
The Kansas City midfield is one with a wealth of MLS experience, with Benny Feilhaber, Roger Espinoza and Graham Zusi offering plenty of pedigree and quality for the home side.
However, despite a potential pairing with rookie Polster, Ritter is confident the duo have sufficient quality to drive the Fire to their fourth win in a row.
“I think Matt’s a good player,” the Northwestern University product said. “I’ve played with him a little bit this season so far, and while I think Kansas City has a more experienced team if you look at years of service in their midfield, I think Matt and myself are capable and can give them a good game on the road.”
