When FC Dallas went to Brazil for a week of training and a match against partner Clube Atletico Paranaense, the injury bug hit once again. Starting left back Chris Gbandi, the FCD defender of the year last season, went down with an ankle injury which will likely keep him out of the opening games of the 2007 MLS season.
Gbandi was diagnosed with a grade two sprain of the left ankle following an MRI over the weekend, expected to put him out for four to six weeks. His injury came after Adrian Serioux, who played for MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo last year before then being traded to expansion Toronto FC, underwent knee surgery which will put him out until midsummer.
Serioux, a Canadian international who is equally at home either in the back four or as a holding midfielder, had been tabbed by FCD coach Steve Morrow to play in central defense. However, despite losing two key personnel from his back four, Morrow isn't worried in the least.
"I think it's an area that we've got a lot of cover in," he said. "We think very highly of Blake Wagner. David Wagenfuhr has experience in this league as well. It's not nice to lose a player with the experience of Chris (Gbandi) and someone who had a great year for us as well. On top of losing Adrian (Serioux) as well, it's a bit of a blow for us. We feel it's a position that we can cover."
Morrow's options to fill Gbandi's spot are Wagenfuhr and Wagner. Wagenfuhr is a third-year player who last year played both in the back and in the midfield and scored his first MLS goal in a match against the New York Red Bulls last July. He played in 13 games for FCD last year, five of those starts. He is clearly ready to fill in for Gbandi.
"It's a good opportunity for me," Wagenfuhr said. "Chris is a good friend of mine and it's too bad he got hurt. I want to do whatever I can to help the team, whether it's on the field or off."
The Creighton product admits that he enjoyed playing midfield last season, but his comfort level is much higher when he is at left back.
"I definitely feel more at home in the back (than in midfield)," Wagenfuhr said. "I can see the field, make runs, play the ball and give the ball back better there. I feel a lot more comfortable that way. I feel comfortable in the midfield, but feel more comfortable at left back."
Wagner is a second-year Generation adidas player who saw considerable time with the U.S. under-20 national team last year as an MLS rookie. He got his first start against a league foe when he started at left back against Columbus in the inaugural Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup on Sunday in Frisco.
"I thought Blake (Wagner) did very well for 45 minutes [Sunday] but then showed the inconsistency that many young players show in the second half," Morrow said the Florida native's performance in the 3-0 loss to the Crew.
Morrow does like the improvement he has seen from Wagner over the course of the past year.
"I think he (Wagner) has made a lot (of progress)," he said. "The time that he spent with the (U.S. under-20) national team in the offseason really helped him mature as a player. He's come back in during preseason looking a lot more complete, mature and confident.
"We've seen that inconsistency a little bit since. He's still only 19 and young players are going to go through that," Morrow continued. "We have a lot of confidence in him. He's got a lot of confidence and ability. We feel he can go in and cope with any situation. He's a very mature kid at 19 years old."
Wagner offered his own take on how he has grown since coming to FCD last year.
"I was definitely nervous when I first came here last year. I didn't know what to expect. Having that first year and being able to learn and get to know everybody was great," he said. "I've learned so much since then and am still learning today. I'm trying to learn everyday and keep progressing. I'm doing a lot better than last year and hopefully, that keeps going."
Wagner credits his experiences with the U.S. U-20s with helping to speed his development as a player along even further. "It's definitely helped me," Wagner said. "Playing in different countries and against different levels of competition gives me good experience and helps me tremendously."
While the best case scenario for Gbandi's return would be four weeks, Morrow is expecting the veteran back's return to take a bit longer.
"They're saying at best, four weeks right now," Morrow said. "He's got damage to one of the ligaments in his ankle. From where we were when we first thought he had a nasty fracture in his ankle, it's better than we first expected. It's probably a four- or five-week injury. There's little chance he's back for the first week of the season, but he's suspended for the first game anyway. So, that gives us an extra week to work with."
Last season, Gbandi played 28 games for FCD on the left side making 27 starts and notching two assists. He was clearly the top performer on a Hoops back line that at times, could be rock-solid, but at others could be quite porous. Before his injury, Gbandi was thought to have been one of the possibilities to be named FCD's captain, but his injury likely altered those plans.
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLsnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
