Pavel Pardo would like to sign a long-term deal with Fire

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Toronto FC v Chicago Fire

Updated: November 16, 2011 4:00PM

Barring a miracle, the Fire will miss the Major League Soccer playoffs for the second consecutive year.

To make it among the 10 playoff teams, the Fire would have to win its last two regular-season games, then hope the New York Red Bulls and Houston Dynamo lose both of theirs. Even then, the Fire would need to survive the tiebreaker procedure, which calls for head-to-head play first and goal differential next.

And just to win the last road game — Saturday at D.C. United — will be difficult because interim coach Frank Klopas must field a patchwork lineup. Three regulars will be serving one-game suspensions: defenders Cory Gibbs and Dan Gargan for yellow-card point accumulations and midfielder Pavel Pardo for the red card he received in Wednesday’s 2-1 home loss to FC Dallas.

Still, Klopas refuses to look ahead to next season.

‘‘It’s time to focus on the upcoming game, nothing else,’’ he said. ‘‘My focus is on getting the team a win in D.C.’’

Pardo, though, is looking ahead. The 35-year-old former star of Mexico’s national team was a mid-season acquisition and proved a big reason the Fire (7-9-16) went 5-2-3 in its last 10 MLS games.

‘‘I was talking about this situation with the people from the Fire, and they want me to be here,’’ said Pardo, who is finishing off a six-month contract. ‘‘I want to be here also, but not for one year. I’d like to be here for more years. I’ve integrated with this team and the fans. I’m very happy here.’’

Klopas’ future as the head coach won’t be decided until after the Oct. 22 finale against the Columbus Crew at Toyota Park.

The Fire got better after he replaced Carlos de los Cobos on May 31, going 9-8-10 across all competitions. The Fire’s Toyota Park record (5-3-8, 23 points) is also better than its home mark last season (4-4-7, 19 points) and the last playoff season in 2009 (5-4-6, 21 points). The Fire, however, has only two victories in 16 road games.

‘‘When I stepped in, I said I believed in the group, and I still do,’’ Klopas said. ‘‘More than anything, we had 16-18 new players. It takes time for players to jell. There’s a good core that we can build on. We’re going to wait until the end [of the season] to see [who will return in 2012].’’