ASN Injury Report
Ream May Have Broken Nose; Packwood Plays 90
Tim Ream was forced to leave the field just minutes into Bolton’s match against QPR yesterday; elsewhere, several recovering Americans showed resilience.
BY
Nick Kariuki
Posted
January 29, 2014
9:58 AM
In the first minute of Bolton’s league clash with Queen’s Park Rangers yesterday, Tim Ream clashed in midair with opposition striker Charlie Austin. The center back took a knock to the head and, after receiving four minutes of on-field medical attention, was substituted off. The full details of the injury are still unclear, but manager Dougie Freedman had this to say about the incident after the match: “We were also dealt a bit of bad luck in the opening seconds of the game with the incident surrounding Tim Ream. He has come off with what looks like a broken nose and we feel their player was lucky to still be on the pitch.”
On Saturday Hoffenheim’s Fabian Johnson had to be substituted off at half-time after breaking a metacarpal in his right hand. Hoffenheim were already two down to Nurnberg going into the, um, break and ultimately lost the match 4-0. MLS Soccer reported that Johnson underwent surgery on Sunday and should return for individual training today with a special brace for protection. He’s expected to return to team training on Friday and possibly Saturday’s clash with SV Hamburger.
Joe Corona did not make the squad for Tijuana’s 1-0 victory against Monarcas Morelia on Friday due to an ankle injury.
John Brooks did not feature in the Hertha Berlin squad that lost 1-0 to Frankfurt as he continues to recover from his knee ligament strain. Brooks began individual training last week and, while wishing the defender a happy 21st birthday yesterday, the club reported that Brooks may return to team training soon.
Will Packwood has now delivered 90-minute performances in back-to-back matches in the space of three days. He’s back.
Last week RP-Online reported that Hannover’s Steve Cherundulo trained individually because of “persistent knee problems.” He subsequently did not make the bench for his side’s 3-1 win at Wolfsburg on Saturday. Hannover will host fourth-place Borussia Monchengladbach this Saturday.
Josh Gatt made the Molde squad that travelled to Spain for the Copa del Sol. Unfortunately, the club’s website reported yesterday that he has come down with the flu and has been isolated from the rest of the squad. Gatt’s time in Spain will now involve individual training and the winger should still be ready for the Norwegian season’s start in two months.
No news is good news on the Oguchi Onyewu front. The 31-year-old central defender played 90 minutes in Sheffield Wednesday’s 1-1 tie against Millwall yesterday. It will be interesting to see if he can stay healthy enough to earn a call-up for the United States’ March 5 friendly against Ukraine.
Eric Lichaj played the full 90 minutes in Nottingham Forest’s 0-0 FA Cup draw against Preston North End on Friday. The left back had struggled with a knock which kept him out of the side’s last three league games. Prior to the match, Lichaj said this to the Express: “I’m glad to be back in the set-up and healthy. We’re on a 10-game unbeaten run and I was disappointed to leave the side when we were doing well.” Manager Billy Davies told the club’s website that he was happy that Lichaj got minutes in on Friday, as the team prepare to face Watford in a league clash today.
Yesterday Bolton Wanderer’s Stuart Holden was in Carson, Calif., to train with the U.S. national team as a “guest,” meaning his training was be closely monitored and limited. While Holden will play no active role in Saturday’s friendly against South Korea, this bodes well for his chances of making it on the plane to Brazil. Holden posted this set of videos and a paragraph on his Instagram account on Monday, displaying not only his recovery progress, but also his irrepressible optimism.
Nick Kariuki writes his ASN Injury Report every week. Follow him on Twitter.
Ben Queenborough/isiphotos.com
