Brian McBride hopes to be back by October

Brian McBride isn't ready to fade away into retirement just yet.

Despite shoulder surgery two weeks ago that's expected to keep him out 3-4 months, McBride isn't writing off this season, or his playing days in general.

The MLS regular season concludes at the end of October.

"I hope it's before then," McBride said of his return while standing outside the Fire's Toyota Park locker room before Saturday night's game against Real Salt Lake. "Three months, I think, would have been the middle of October, right?

"I'm optimistic. I'm definitely going to try to be back by then."

Then there's the question of whether McBride, 37, will be back in 2010. His contract expires at the end of this season.

"That's a good question. You'll have to ask somebody else," McBride said. "I can only tell you how I feel. I feel great and enjoy being around the staff and the guys. I love playing in Chicago.

"We'll see what happens. I'm not trying to skirt around the answer. How I answered is exactly how I feel. I love being here. Do I feel like I can play more? Yes. That decision will be made probably somewhere in December, I have a feeling."

The pain McBride felt in his shoulder affected the way he could receive the ball, especially while in tight spaces in the opposing penalty area.

"It's something that was happening for four months, so it was basically there from the beginning of the season," McBride said, adding that the jarring nature of play in the box was the problem. "The one thing I couldn't do is hold players off on my right side, which is normally my strong side."

McBride was a little vague on his decision to have surgery, saying there were factors he didn't feel he could discuss.

"It wasn't night and day as far as decision-making," he said. "I thought about it awhile. My wife and I talk about everything. The decision was sort of there that had to be made. The doctor said I had to have surgery. There are other things that go into the decision."

The Arlington Heights resident is a legendary figure in American soccer, for his World Cup goals and for his 41/2 seasons at Fulham that rank as the most successful an American has experienced in European soccer.

He played in the Fire's first 16 games of this season and still leads the team with 6 goals.

"The focus is now," he said about the Fire's playoff push. "It's a tough period. We have to get some points."