A pitch to get on field

Joseph wants to play. He participated in agility drills. His knee feels better. As the Revolution’s leading scorer, he wants to be on the field tonight when they take on the Chicago Fire in the SuperLiga semifinal at Gillette Stadium.

“I see him every 10 minutes and me and him have a conversation about it, to be honest, that I want to play,’’ Joseph said. “I’ve been pushing along and trying to come back, but this week I feel great. I’m ready to go. It’s a matter of me trying to convince him and the trainer that I’m ready to play.’’

The bone bruise in Joseph’s right knee has kept him out since June 13, when the Revolution suffered a 3-1 loss at Kansas City. And it seems Joseph will have to wait at least one more game before he can rejoin the lineup.

Following practice yesterday, Nicol said he believes Joseph is ready, but he wants the midfielder to participate in a few more practices as a precaution.

“We have to try to calm him down,’’ said Nicol. “Just being the way he is, he’s desperate to play.’’

Still, Joseph is holding out hope. Joseph said last season he might have been able to convince Nicol to let him play, “but with the kind of injury I have they have to be very cautious. I just have to try to be patient. It’s hard because I know the team has been struggling here and there and I think I can make a difference.’’

Joseph leads the team with five goals and four assists. Nicol made a few decisions earlier in the season to spark the offense and adjust for injuries, moving Joseph to forward from midfield. His performance earned him a spot on the MLS All-Star team for the sixth consecutive season. The match will be July 29 in Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, and Joseph is optimistic he will be able to play.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized by the players and coaches to be an All-Star,’’ Joseph said. “It just shows the hard work I put in in the preseason and it shows from the team’s perspective that we’ve been winning games and we’re right in the middle of it. Even though we have a lot of games in hand, we still have to win those games.’’

While Joseph may not play tonight, he said he believes he should be allowed to take the field against Chivas USA Sunday.

“If I keep progressing like [I have] this week and keep doing the stuff I need to do, I think Sunday, definitely, I will be playing whether I start or I’m coming off the bench,’’ Joseph said.

With the way the Revolution have lost players to injury this year, being cautious isn’t a bad idea.

In eight of New England’s 18 overall matches, the team has dressed fewer than the allotted 18 players. The lineup has been so strained that in a 0-0 tie against Kansas City Saturday, midfielder Steve Ralston, who also has played forward this season, played left back.

“Once you get on the field, you forget about what’s going on,’’ Ralston said. “We can sit here and complain that Taylor [Twellman] is out and Shalrie’s out, but that won’t do us any good.’’

Defender Chris Tierney who has been out with an MCL strain, is expected to return tonight as the Revolution continue their quest to defend their 2008 SuperLiga title. New England emerged with the best record out of its group in the first round to earn a berth in the semifinal.

But the Revolution will be without defender Emmanuel Osei, who is suspended because of yellow cards, and defender Jay Heaps, who is with the United States team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Missing players is nothing new for the Revolution.

“It’s just the facts are the facts,’’ Nicol said. “We just have to get on with it and deal with what we have to deal with.’’

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.