Club America, Mexico Star Pavel Pardo Set To Sign With Chicago Fire In MLS: Reports

Thursday night, new reports from ESPN reporters Doug McIntyre and John Sutcliffe, with one report being in English and one in Spanish, revealed that Club America and former Mexican international Pavel Pardo is set to sign with Chicago Fire of MLS. This move has been rumored for quite some time, but it appears as if Chicago have actually finalized the deal and that they are set to announce the signing in the coming days.

Of course, this isn't 100 percent confirmed yet, but separate reports in two different languages from reliable journalists at the Worldwide Leader is too much for this to not have some serious truth to it, and I fully expect Pardo to play for the Fire this season after having seen this news.

The Fire are seriously struggling in MLS, but not completely out of playoff contention. This is a move that will be much more about having a marketable star than anything on the pitch, as defensive midfield is just about the only spot in the pitch where the Fire have players that are unarguably playoff quality.

Between Pardo's age, the growing reputation of Rosinei, and the attacking style of Carlos Reinoso, it was only a matter of time before Pardo's opportunities at America became limited. It appears that, instead of riding the bench to finish out his career, Pardo will head north for a chance at playing time and a paycheck.

Update: Chicago Fire officially announce signing of Pavel Pardo