ASN Injury Report
U.S. Injury News: Bradley, EJ, Beasley, Danny Williams
With the World Cup starting in just 43 days, now is the wrong time for soccer players to pick up a knock. ASN's Nick Kariuki has all of the latest injury updates on the U.S. national team front.
BY
Nick Kariuki
Posted
April 30, 2014
1:38 PM
On Saturday Danny Williams missed Reading’s 3-1 victory over Doncaster Rovers after a flare-up left lingering fluid in his already-overworked knee. The Royals are in fifth-place and have to win this Saturday against already-promoted Burnley in order to guarantee that the side doesn’t lose its playoff spot to either Brighton and Hove Albion or Blackburn Rovers. A club spokesperson told MLSsoccer yesterday that they hope to have Williams back for the crucial match.
Two Americans recovering from hamstring injuries, DaMarcus Beasley and Michael Orozco missed Puebla’s final Clausura match, a 3-1 victory over Monarcas Morelia. The win moved La Franja into 16th and secured its place in the Primera División for another season.
Michael Bradley took advantage of Toronto FC’s bye week to undergo a foot procedure last week. The procedure was meant to deal with a “nerve issue” that Bradley has been playing with for a long time and had been scheduled since the preseason. Coach Ryan Nelson clarified to MLSsoccer.com on Friday: “It just means he has to get off it for a week … He can play on it, and he’s had it for a long time. … You can play on it, but it’s annoying. He’s had a procedure to take care of that; it was always going to be done over these two weeks.”
Eddie Johnson was subbed out of D.C.’s game in the 51st minute with a hamstring injury and has since sat out of training. The forward should resume workouts today and hopes to play against Portland on Saturday. Coach Ben Olsen told the Washington Post this: “If he’s fine to play, he’ll play. That is the doctor and trainer’s call. If there’s no risk, then he’ll play.”
It was a case of one-in-one-out at Birmingham City. Jonathan Spector returned from his ankle injury, playing for the full 90 minutes of both Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Leeds United and yesterday’s 1-0 loss to Wigan Athletic. Teammate Will Packwood, on the other hand, missed out on both matches after developing hamstring tightness in the last week. The Blues have one final chance to escape the relegation zone this Saturday at Bolton Wanderers.
Colorado Rapids midfielder Dillon Powers told the Denver Post yesterday that he is experiencing minor bursitis in the lower part of his right knee. The reigning MLS Rookie of the Year sat out of training last week and as a result missed the Rapids' 4-1 loss to Seattle. Yesterday Powers returned to training with some light jogging and dribbling and he hopes to make Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Head coach Paolo Mastroeni is taking a cautious approach: “The last thing I want to do is put him in a position where he aggravates it this early in the season."
As for the Galaxy, left back Todd Dunivant began running on the side on Monday as he recovers from his abdominal strain. Head coach Bruce Arena has told the club that Dunivant is “unlikely” to be ready for the trip to Colorado, though his recovery is “moving forward.”
On Saturday, FC Dallas Head coach Oscar Pareja told the Dallas News that defender George John “is a couple of weeks away from starting his training on the field.” John has been out since the MLS preseason with a couple issues, the latest being a bone bruise on his right knee.
The New England Revolution may have Kelyn Rowe back soon after he returned to team training yesterday. The midfielder has missed the Revs' last five games because of hamstring tightness. This is what he had to say about it on Twitter:
Sporting KC’s CJ Sapong was also back in training yesterday after four games out with a neck and back strain. Sporting host the Columbus Crew this Sunday. This is what teammate Dom Dwyer thought about Sapong’s return:
On Saturday Timothy Chandler made his return from a lateral meniscus tear in Nurnberg’s 2-0 loss to Mainz. Chandler played the entire first half before being subbed out during the break. Nurnberg is currently in 17th place with only two games left to escape relegation. This Saturday Der Club hosts Hannover.
Bill Hamid is back for D.C. United, playing the full 90 minutes in D.C.’s 4-1 victory over FC Dallas. On Saturday Hamid told MLSsoccer.com how the minor toe injury picked up during warmups against Mexico escalated into three league matches on the sidelines. "I tried to push it,” the 23-year-old keeper said. "It wasn’t the smartest idea. Being a part of D.C. United for so many years I knew the rivalry against New York was a big thing and during that week I tried to push it to try and get ready for that game. I tried to push it against doctor’s orders. I was hungry to play in that game, it was New York. That ended up setting me back another week. I’m going to be a little smarter next time when it comes to injuries.”
After three games out with a right ankle sprain, Houston Dynamo captain Brad Davis returned to start in the side’s 1-1 tie against Portland. Davis managed 79 minutes before being subbed out, providing teammate Will Bruin with an assist for the opening goal. After the match Davis told MLSsoccer.com that “everything felt good.”
Seb Hines came on as a second-half substitute in Middlesbrough’s 3-1 win over Barnsley, earning his first 24 minutes of playing time in 2014. Hines most recently shook off a thigh injury, but being out of favor with new manager Aitor Karanka has also also limited his opportunities this season.
And finally, Stuart Holden did a Q&A on Thursday. Here are some highlights. His rehab is going well, his childhood idol was David Beckham, he thinks Brazil will win the World Cup, and he prefers Clint Eastwood over John Wayne. On Saturday Oguchi Onyewu told the Bolton News this about Holden's fitness battle: “He’s a solid midfielder. I just hope that when he comes back from this, all the injuries are behind him and he can put the dark days behind him and look forward to the sunlight.”
Nick Kariuki writes both the ASN Injury Report and the MLS Roundup every week. Follow him on Twitter.
