Grazzini's departure puts Fire in a bind
Friday's announcement that Sebastian Grazzini will take an indefinite leave of absence from the Chicago Fire to attend to family matters in Argentina puts the soccer club in a bind, on the field and off.
On the field, the fourth-place Fire (8-5-4, 28 points) will be without its No. 10, a guy with 2 goals and 5 assists midway through the season.
His teammates and coaches are confident they can carry on without him, and they have said so since before the club announced last week it would pick up the option on his contract for the rest of the season.
Grazzini will remain one of the Fire's highest-paid players, and the club is working to help resolve his family problems, according to team sources. The club is not certain if he will return this season.
The Fire has a win and a tie on the road the last two games without Grazzini, who stayed behind in Chicago to work on those family issues.
Chris Rolfe got the start in both games and played well. Newcomer Alex came off the bench in both games and showed he deserves to be considered for Grazzini's role.
But Grazzini's loss leaves the club without its playmaker, and his loss — for however long it lasts — cuts into the team's depth at a key spot just when it is playing its best soccer of the season.
“Because of the problems, I have to see whether I can resolve them,” Grazzini said after training Friday. “I want to put it on record that I have no problem with the club, but I have to leave right now.”
Grazzini insisted he's not looking to leave the Fire via transfer or loan, and his departure has nothing to do with unhappiness over his contract, he said.
“No, nothing now,” the 31-year-old said. “I'm returning to my country for all the reasons I'm mentioning to you now. I don't know what's going to happen when I'm over there.”
Not there's no guarantee Grazzini will be back. “I want to see. I want to tend to my problems,” he said.
Rumors will persist, and Twitter indicates fans are unhappy with the club over Grazzini's situation.
Whether the club deserves blame is difficult to say. Grazzini has said little until Friday, and the club waited until the last minute to announce it would pick up the player's contract option, delaying at the player's request, Andell Holdings executive Javier Leon said.
Meanwhile, the club is continuing to pursue other international players to add to the roster, even though it is at the MLS limit of eight international players, Grazzini included.
While Dutch striker Sherjill MacDonald tweeted Thursday he is on his way to Chicago, the Fire has had no comment.
Ukrainian striker Andrei Shevchenko also remains a possibility. There's no way to know what effect the Grazzini situation might have on Shevchenko and other players who interest the Fire.
Did Uruguayan Diego Forlan sign with a Brazilian club instead of the Fire because of questions regarding how the Fire treated Grazzini? It's impossible to know.
That's why it's in the club's best interest to resolve the situation quickly, one way or the other. Uncertainty doesn't help anyone.
No Beckham again:For a fourth consecutive season, David Beckham will not join his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates Sunday in Chicago when the Galaxy faces the Fire at 2 p.m. (ESPN) at Toyota Park.Major League Soccer announced Friday it has suspended Beckham for Sunday's match because of Beckham's actions at the end of last week's loss at San Jose, when Beckham got impatient with a San Jose player who lay injured on the field, kicking the soccer ball at the player and the referee. After the final whistle, an angry Beckham had to be restrained by teammates.Injury and suspension have kept Beckham from Toyota Park since 2008.Pappa update:Reports out of his native Guatemala say Fire midfielder Marco Pappa has signed a precontract with English side Wigan. Pappa would finish the season with the Fire, leaving when his contract expires.#376;Follow Orrin's soccer reports on Twitter @orrinsoccer.