The Chicago Fire announced on Tuesday they have agreed to a contract extension with midfielder Logan Pause that will keep one of the most tenured players in franchise history in Chicago through 2013.

Pause, 30, completed his ninth season with the Fire in 2011, amassing career-highs in both games (29) and starts (28) while helping anchor the team’s central midfield and also slotting in at times at right defender. He was named the team captain at the beginning of the 2011 season.

“Logan has been a valuable asset to this club for a decade now,” Chicago Fire head coach Frank Klopas said in a statement. “Logan is a great leader for our younger players on the field and in the locker room and personifies our tenets of tradition, honor and passion.”

With 227 regular-season appearances to his credit, Pause trails only former Fire defender and current Real Salt Lake assistant coach C.J. Brown (296) for most appearances in franchise history.

Pause is also the only player to appear in 21 or more regular-season matches over the course of nine consecutive seasons with the Fire. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2010.