BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – The Chicago Fire made their latest roster addition on Tuesday, signing French forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle to the first team roster, pending receipt of visa and international transfer certificate.
The once-capped French international was originally brought in two weeks ago for a look towards signing next season. However, his impressive training stint, combined with the club’s announcement that Mike Magee underwent season-ending hip surgery, presented opportunity for the former Liverpool forward to sign prior to the MLS roster freeze on September 15.
“Florent is a quality player with experience playing in some of the top leagues in Europe,” Fire head coach and Director of Soccer Frank Yallop said in a club release. “Since he’s been training with us for the past few weeks, we’ve been able to see first-hand the attributes he has. I’m pleased that we were able to add him to the squad as we enter the final stretch of the regular season.”
A bullet list of clubs on the 29-year-old forward’s resume include five seasons with Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Sporting Lisbon and Recreativo Huelva. Though he didn’t play in the 2005 Champions League final, Sinama-Pongolle did score in Liverpool’s Champions League campaign that season and has a winner’s medal from that season. The following year, he also won the FA Cup with the Reds.
Most recently Sinama-Pongolle was with Russian Premier League side FC Rostov but was restricted to only 18 appearances in two seasons after tearing his right anterior cruciate ligament in March 2013.
Sinama-Pongolle explained the timing of his injury during the thick of the Russian season made it difficult to recover in a timely manner and was candid about his lack of appearances over the last two seasons.
“I come to MLS with two years where my stats have honestly been bad,” Sinama-Pongolle told Chicago-Fire.com Tuesday. “This injury made me burn a lot of time. I had two years of a contract in Russia, only the opportunity to play at my best for three months.
“In Europe you have a break at the end of the season, in Russia you have a break in the middle of the season. When you have a long injury, you can’t come back. Everything was not playing to my benefit.”
Sinama-Pongolle last appeared for Rostov on May 15, going 90 minutes and scoring an 89th minute goal at Tom’ Tomsk. After leaving Russia, he returned to French side Le Havre where he came up through the youth ranks and spent preseason training with the club’s first team as well as playing in six friendly matches in the lead up to their Ligue 2 campaign.
While offers from European clubs were there for him, Sinama-Pongolle said that Fire manager Frank Yallop was a big part of the reason he decided to come for a trial with Chicago.
“On the other offers, I wasn’t convinced about the relation of the manger and how they felt I would be helpful for the team,” he said. “The talks with Frank were very good, honest and made me understand everything from the start. I came away feeling like he cares about his players and wanted me here.
“I came here with the opportunity to trial like a guest player. I was quite confident in my quality and what I could show because physically I was in good shape at that point. I was confident I could help the team in the best way.”
Sinama-Pongolle suited up and went 90 minutes for the Chicago Fire Reserves in their 2-1 victory over FC Dallas on August 31 at Toyota Park. The Frenchman setup Matthew Fondy’s first half strike before earning a stoppage time penalty kick which he converted in the victory.
“I played with no problems,” he said of the Reserve appearance. “Physically I’m ready. What’s key when I came here was to arrive fit. To arrive and not be able to show straight away would have been a risk for me and Frank wouldn’t have contemplated me. We need players now to be able to give to help the team.”
Time is off the essence for Sinama-Pongolle, who is awaiting his international transfer certificate and his P-1 visa, which will require him to travel back to Paris to obtain before he can play for the first team.
“I’m impatient,” he laughed. “I love my job and so of course I want to play. I hope all the administrative papers go quickly. When they do I’m ready to go.”
While he originally came over on a trial basis for next season, Sinama-Pongolle’s audition will now be on a bigger stage through the end of the year, with hopes that he can extend a deal into next season.
WATCH: Jeff and Kevin talk Magee, Sinama-Pongolle in The Centerback
