It's largely been a season to forget for D.C. United thus far, but until a foot injury sidelined him last month, Devon McTavish had been one of the club's surprise success stories with a run of strong performances on the right side of midfield this spring.
After a trying recovery process that has lasted far longer than expected, the Winchester, Va. native is finally approaching full health and hopes to return to the lineup soon as his team struggles to recover from a disastrous 2-5-0 start to league play.
"It's getting there," McTavish said on Tuesday. "I hope that I turned the corner yesterday or today -- I did a little jogging and running yesterday and it felt pretty good this morning when I woke up, so that's always a good sign."
McTavish's troubles began when he rolled his ankle during the first half of United's 2-1 loss to Columbus on April 17. He was able to continue in that match, but the affected area "locked up" after he was substituted in the 68th minute and he's been unable to train normally ever since.
The injury was identified as a mid-foot sprain, but it's proven a surprisingly persistent ailment and at one point the unexpected length of his healing time even prompted him to mention, only half-jokingly, that he believed he'd been cursed by someone "in the area" whose identity he kept to himself.
"It was diagnosed as just a sprain, but it's in a spot where it's tough to heal," said McTavish. "It kind of takes a while because you always use that part of your foot for everyday use. So it's tough to stay off of it."
Regaining match fitness can present another challenge for players on the mend. But McTavish has used workouts on the stationary bike and elliptical trainer to keep his conditioning levels from dropping too sharply, which he hopes will help him get back into the first XI quickly once he's deemed fit.
Saturday's meeting with Chivas USA in Los Angeles may come too soon for that: he says "there's a chance, but maybe a slim one" of being ready for the Red-and-White. But with United looking uninspired and well off the pace in the Eastern Conference, his head coach will surely be eager to get McTavish back into the mix as he tries to shake his squad out of the doldrums.
"One thing that we have to get right -- now -- is how much effort we're putting in," said D.C. boss Tom Soehn, "making sure that we're focused on doing the things that we can control. Right now we've taken some shortcuts and everybody's held accountable. So at this point, the guys that are able to do that are going to play, and the guys who aren't, aren't."
McTavish admits that it's as dire a situation as he's experienced in his three years with United, with roster turnover, loss of confidence, nagging injuries and general lack of chemistry all taking a toll as the losses mount.
"I came in my rookie year and the team had been established for two, three years and everybody knew what they were doing and what their role was, and then last year it was more or less the same," he said. "So this year with the influx of new players it's just kind of figuring out where your spot is, how you're supposed to play, what everyone's doing around you and it's just [that] we haven't figured out yet, and that's why we're not getting results. So it's definitely been tough, it's been frustrating."
Key creative presences Fred and Marcelo Gallardo have joined McTavish in the training room in recent weeks and Soehn acknowledged that their availability remains a day-to-day question leading up to the Chivas USA match. While their return would undoubtedly offer a boost, McTavish knows that a victory in California is the only development that can really lift United's gloom.
"We seem to lack confidence in playing -- I think once we get down a goal everyone kind of shrugs and puts their tail between their legs," he noted on Tuesday. "We don't really have anything to lose right now. We're at the bottom of the table and we can only go up. We just need to start coming out and playing like we know to play and everyone needs to get a swagger in their step. But that's only going to come with getting a result."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
