Patrick Nyarko Out With Torn ACL

The Chicago Fire have announced that midfielder Patrick Nyarko has torn his anterior cruciate ligament. This injury ends his 2014 season and will keep him out of soccer for six to eight months. Based on that estimate, Nyarko will be able to begin kicking the ball around again in April of 2015.

The 2014 season has been a difficult one for the Ghanian. A second yellow card from an uncharacteristic foul against the Portland Timbers got him sent off for the first time in his career. He followed that up with a series of flat performances before a knee injury sidelined the Fire midfielder from mid-May until early September.

Just 15 minutes before he fell to the ground in pain this past Saturday, we finally got to witness a moment vintage Nyarko as he set up Harrison Shipp for team's only goal in the match. The assist was Nyarko's 34th with the club and puts him in a tie with Justin Mapp for fourth on the Fire's all time list.

While lengths of player contracts are not disclosed, it will be three years in April since Nyarko last resigned with the Fire, so it would not be implausible to assume that there may be some negotiating down the road for Nyarko and the Fire. Between a lukewarm 2013, an injury riddled 2014 with a torn ACL and turning 29 in January, Nyarko may be needing to take a pay cut to stay with the Fire.