A pair of doors guard the pathway from the Columbus Crew's training field to the 11-year-old building that houses the team. Past the second entry, the locker room is to the left while the medical training room is on the right.
The way things have gone lately there should be another door -- a revolving one -- between the two areas.
For example, Tuesday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match in Peoria, Ill., marked the return from lengthy injury absences of midfielder Duncan Oughton and forward Jason Garey. But those positives were offset by the severe ankle sprain suffered in the 75th minute by midfielder Eddie Gaven. A conservative estimate is that he could be out for 3-4 weeks.
So it goes in Crewville. Midfielder Stefan Miglioranzi (groin) has started running again this week but is not game fit. Defender Gino Padula (knee sprain) is expected to be ready for the match at Kansas City on Saturday but defender Ezra Hendrickson had a groin injury last week against San Jose and is sidelined indefinitely. Also, defenders Chad Marshall and Jed Zayner are nursing nagging injuries but should be good for the match against the Wizards.
With so much fluctuation of the roster, the additions of Garey and Oughton are a relief to coach Sigi Schmid. Neither has played in an MLS match this season so their minutes off the bench in the 3-2 extra-time loss to Chicago on Tuesday were important from psychological and physical standpoints.
"If you've played before and then you're not playing it's difficult to keep at it and keep working hard," Garey said. "We've got a lot more good players than we've had in the past. The competition is good so when you get on the field you have to make a contribution."
He did on his first touch in the 67th minute when he scored off a feed from Zayner. However, Garey also lost the ball in the 116th minute that lead to a counterattack. Andy Herron eventually worked into the box and induced a trip and a penalty call against goalkeeper Will Hesmer. The Fire forward converted for the winning goal.
"Consistency has been the No. 1 thing with him. The last goal we took was a ball into Jason that he needed to hold onto. He didn't. We got countered and scored on," Schmid said. "Jason came in and scored a good goal for us. He played with energy, which is what we were looking for him to bring. He's certainly did what he needed to do and scored. He made a great near-post run so he's somebody that if things aren't going well for us he's somebody we might bring in."
Garey and Oughton are itching to play with the big boys again.
"The reserve team games are a couple of levels down. I haven't played in one of the full games yet this year. It's a little bit of an adjustment period," Garey said. 'I've played enough full games in my career so I'll be used to the pace. I have to keep going out there and plugging away. I'm ready. I want the chance to help anyway I can."
Oughton, the Crew's top pick in 2001 and one of three players left from the team before Schmid took over in October 2005, is no strangers to injuries. He had surgery before the 2005 season to re-attach cartilage that had turn off his knee. He reinjured the knee in a preseason match in Charleston, S.C., and later underwent an experimental procedure where a regrown cartilage was used as a replacement.
He missed all of the 2005 season and appeared in nine league games the next season and 19 in 2007. Oughton was on injured reserve this year because bone spurs above his right ankle split and were rubbing the nerve. He missed three weeks, or, as he put it, a "speed bump" as far as recovery time.
Oughton entered in the 75th minute Tuesday and found himself chasing the game until he could get his legs going.
"Obviously, I've played some reserve matches but the pace is a lot faster. The reserve games give you a false sense of security a little bit because that split-second of a time makes a big difference," he said.
Still, he was happy to be on the field again, particularly because he's preparing to help New Zealand again in its bid to qualify for the World Cup.
"I'm been available for a few weeks now and hopefully I've been pushing guys that have been playing," he said. "If you're not starting that's your job to push to start. Hopefully, I've been doing that, making those guys work a little harder, a little better."
Schmid noticed that Oughton was more fatigued as the match drew to a close than some of the players who went the distance. However, he knows it won't take Oughton long, maybe by Saturday, to be at an MLS level. Having a healthy Oughton is invaluable because the Crew will be without midfielder Brad Evans following his red card against San Jose.
"Duncan's ready. I don't know if he's fit enough to go 90 minutes but Duncan is a good guy who has played in this league and has experience," Schmid said. "The reserve games aren't of the same quality, the same level, partly because a lot of teams have to call in players to fill out the roster. They're not as sharp. They're not as fit. It certainly helps keep them in better form than if there weren't any reserve matches but on the same token just playing at the reserve level doesn't necessarily mean the same as playing at the first level."
Oughton, who will be 31 on Saturday, knows he could be one serious injury from retirement but that won't stop him from his helter-skelter style.
"I wouldn't be myself if I didn't play that way," he said.
While players have come and gone during his tenure with the Crew he believes he can play a role in getting the club to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
"I feel like I can still hang in and still play at this level and contribute," he said. "I've got some important games coming up with the Crew and my national team so I'd like to play a few more years if I can. At the end of the day I'll do as much as I can to get fit and healthy then it's other people's decisions."
Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
