When FC Dallas center back Clarence Goodson fell injured in the 31st minute of Sunday's match at Houston with what looked to be a hamstring injury, the Hoops lost their most consistent performer on the back line so far this season.
Goodson's injury was originally thought to be a hamstring strain, an ailment which could have kept him out of Saturday night's match with the Los Angeles Galaxy at Pizza Hut Park. It actually turned out to be more akin to a deep bruise, and he should return to full training on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Goodson did some light running on the side and watched the rest of FCD's first full training session of the week from the sidelines. On Monday, the Hoops did some light recovery work and were off on Tuesday, when Goodson and a number of players took part in a kids bowling party set up by the FC Dallas Foundation.
"I feel good," Goodson said. "I think I will be practicing (Thursday). I feel pretty well. It wasn't as serious as I thought. It looks like I caught a heel in my upper thigh.
"It was more of a really deep bruise than anything. It's real sensitive to the touch. I went in there (to the training room) and got a massage to work the tightness out. I was able to run (Wednesday), so it feels pretty good."
With Goodson unlikely to miss any time, FCD can breathe a sigh of relief.
When he left Saturday's match, Drew Moor shifted into Goodson's place in the middle and Bobby Rhine came off the bench to play right back, but the loss of Goodson clearly threw the FCD rearguard off. After heading to the break up 1-0, the Hoops fell to Dynamo 2-1, their fourth loss in four matches against the Orange in Houston.
Following the loss, FCD head coach Steve Morrow admitted that losing Goodson put his back line into a state of flux.
"I think it definitely unsettled us," Morrow said. "We were defending well at the back (before he went off). Clarence is an important of our back line, and like I said, he was a big loss to us when he went off."
Goodson is one of only three FCD players who have started all 11 games so far in 2007. The others are Moor, who is the only man to have played every minute of every match this year, and midfielder Juan Toja, who has played all but 24 minutes this season.
After a disappointing 2006, Goodson headed into this season looking to rebound. He began the year as a starting center back but lost his spot early in the season after a disastrous performance at Colorado last April resulted in two Rapids goals. Just a few weeks later, he netted his second own goal of the year against Houston and forced FCD to settle for a draw in Frisco against their in-state rivals.
Those gaffes appear to be a thing of the past. The former University of Maryland player is more composed, more mature and more sure of himself on the pitch.
"There hasn't been a big difference (for me this year)," Goodson said. "I have been playing well, concentrating, trying to do all the little things right and communicating to all the guys around me and trying to organize and make things easier on all of us."
In 11 games so far this season, FCD has allowed 16 goals, tying them with expansion Toronto FC for the most in the league. They also haven't kept a clean sheet in 18 games. Their last shutout was a 1-0 win over Houston on September 2, 2006 in Frisco. Goodson feels that those stats are a bit misleading.
"I think we have done well," he said. "Obviously that hasn't shown in (our lack of) shutouts and whatnot but I think the boys are starting to gel together. Other than in the Houston and New York games, we have only made silly mistakes here and there. Those are things that we need to cut out. We have been unlucky at times to give up garbage goals. That's very preventable."
Goodson chalks many of those goals up to something very simple -- a lack of concentration, also something that's very preventable.
"In the New England game, we were dominating and we got a little complacent and one thing happens where you're not very sharp and we get punished for it," he said. "Good for them for punishing us. That's something that we need to sort out and be able to stay focused for the full 90 minutes."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
