ASN Injury Report
Injury Bug Bites USMNT Players Across the Globe
Danny Williams. Mike Magee. Eric Lichaj. Stuart Holden. Timmy Chandler. Steve Cherundulo. Etc. Etc. Etc. The injuries are coming fast and furiously for the United States men's national team. Not good.
BY
Nick Kariuki
Posted
March 14, 2014
11:03 AM
Stuart Holden will be out of action for six to nine months after undergoing surgery on the ligaments he re-injured in his right knee this week. Bolton manager Dougie Freedman had this to say: "Unfortunately, Stuart's knee has gone. His surgeon has had a look and has deemed this to be the best course of action. We're all obviously very disappointed for Stuart, but he's a warrior and a fighter and someone who knows exactly what he wants to achieve. Everyone at the football club is right behind him." Club teammate Tim Ream conveyed the team’s support for Holden when he told the Bolton News this yesterday: “All the guys miss him and I’ve been asked loads of questions, people have been texting him, everyone still needs to get their ‘Stu fix’ because his personality keeps people happy.”
Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore missed Sunderland’s 3-0 FA Cup loss to to Hull City due to illness. Yesterday, Sunderland manager Gus Poyet told the Sunderland Echo that Altidore has been back in training for the last two days. Sunderland currently lie in the league’s relegation zone at 19th place, facing 16th-placed Crystal Palace this Saturday.
Nottingham Forest announced yesterday that Eric Lichaj is set set to undergo hernia surgery. The club can not set a return date yet.
Danny Williams returned to Reading from the national team with a knee injury and has since missed the club’s last two games. Royals manager Nigel Adkins included Williams in the squad for Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion, choosing not risk playing him the morning before the game. The midfielder was left out of the squad that beat Leeds United 2-4 on Tuesday. He remains questionable for Saturday’s game against Derby County.
Middlesbrough’s Seb Hines has picked up a thigh injury and could be out for between three the four weeks. Hines has struggled to get back into the starting XI since manager Aitor Karanka took charge at Boro in November.
In the German Bundesliga, Steve Cherundulo remains absent from the Hannover squad due to his lingering knee injury.
Still out with a lateral meniscus tear, Nurnberg’s Timothy Chandler helped the club shop with flag sales before the team’s 0-2 loss against Werder Bremen last Saturday. Chandler worked with fellow injured teammate Timo Gebhart to help promote the club’s “I do not regret this love” campaign. The right back’s return date was set for mid-April back in February and no setbacks have been reported.
Zach Loyd returned to training on Tuesday and could at least make the FC Dallas travel squad for their game against Sporting KC on Saturday. Head Coach Oscar Pareja told Sports Day that George John is “going to take a few weeks more.”
Lee Nguyen and Andrew Farrell both returned to training this week. Both players missed out on the team’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Houston Dynamo. In an interview with the club, Farrell, whose injury was a left tibial stress reaction, had this to say about his chances of starting this Saturday at Philadelphia: “They’re monitoring that and if it’s good enough for Saturday, then hopefully I’ll make the travel team. If not, I’ll have one more week to work at it.”
Sheanon Williams did not make the Philadelphia Union squad that drew 1-1 against Portland on Saturday. Williams has not trained with the club this week and will not play this Saturday against New England.
Dillon Powers will probably not feature for the Colorado Rapids season opener against New York this Saturday in order to fully recover from the knee tendonitis that plagued his preseason. Powers estimated that this process could take a couple weeks. On the plus side his concussion symptoms from last season appear to be gone.
At the Chicago Fire, Mike Magee’s hamstring will be assessed tomorrow to see if he is fit to start against Portland on Sunday. Magee was kept on the bench against Chivas USA last weekend and on Thursday head coach Frank Yallop told MLSsoccer.com: “He’s not really done much this week until today, when he really pushed it. We’ll see how he responds to the work he did and see how he looks tomorrow and make a decision from that.” Chris Rolfe is also a doubt for the Fire, after picking up a bruised foot in the 3-2 loss to Chivas.
At Real Salt Lake, Chris Schuler’s recovery from off-season foot surgery has gone well enough that he may feature this Saturday against San Jose.
Chris Pontius might return from his hamstring injury for D.C. United’s away game against Toronto on March 22, the Washington Post reported on Sunday. D.C. lost its opening match against Chivas USA 3-2, in a game that saw Eddie Johnson return from a hamstring strain and Bill Hamid return from an ankle injury.
CJ Sapong returned from his leg bruise to play the full 90 minutes of Sporting KC’s tight 1-0 loss to Seattle on Saturday.
Todd Dunivant made it to the bench for the LA Galaxy’s 1-0 Champions League victory against Tijuana after recovering from his niggling hamstring injury.
Michael Bradley is set to make Toronto FC’s season opener against Seattle this Saturday after recovering from his foot injury. Bradley had withdrawn from the the US squad that fell 2-0 to Ukraine because of the minor issue but was back on the field on Monday for a light training session that focused in him trying to build a partnership with new teammate Jermaine Defoe. Bradley told MLSSoccer.com about his building excitement: “We all watched the games this weekend, I’m really just excited to get going.”
