At a time when New England Revolution manager Steve Nicol can herald the return of Michael Parkhurst and Steve Ralston from CONCACAF Gold Cup duty with the United States, he is without one of his more unsung heroes for this weekend's contest at Chivas USA.
Defensive midfielder Jeff Larentowicz has been ruled out for the contest and precluded from any training sessions after a collision in last week's 3-0 victory against Toronto FC. The Brown University alumnus was substituted at halftime and taken to the hospital for observation.
Larentowicz suffered bleeding behind his right eye and will be sidelined through Monday, when he'll be reassessed by medical personnel.
Nicol was relieved that Larentowicz, who partners with Shalrie Joseph in defensive midfield, was unlikely to miss significant time with a more serious eye injury.
"It's good news," Nicol said. "He had bleeding behind his eye, and he's allowed to do nothing before Monday. He'll see someone on Monday and we'll go on what they say."
Larentowicz's absence, combined with the release of Daniel Hernandez and the season-ending ankle injury suffered by Joe Franchino, leaves a gaping hole in defensive midfield. Gary Flood, a rookie midfielder from Hofstra with one start under his belt, entered for Larentowicz against Toronto FC and looks favored to take his place in the starting XI.
"I wouldn't say [Flood's] definitely in the team," Nicol said. "We'll take 18 players and see what we're going to do from there."
Another option is to play Parkhurst in a holding role. Nicol has tried that once prior, in a 3-1 victory against Chicago on May 6, but Parkhurst's discomfort in the role and his place as the unquestioned first-choice center back would seem to point in another direction.
Complicating matters is the status of Shalrie Joseph, who suffered an adductor strain and did not practice on Wednesday. Joseph is expected to play, but was kept out of training as a precautionary measure.
"Shalrie has a wee strain," Nicol said. "We're not taking any chances."
If Joseph is unable to go, Parkhurst would have to slide into midfield and Nicol could retain both Avery John and James Riley in defense.
Backup goalkeeper Doug Warren is still sidelined with concussion-like symptoms, and Nicol is unclear as to when Warren will be back with the team.
"It's just a process [with Doug]," Nicol said.
Nicol welcomes back both Parkhurst and Ralston from U.S. national team duty. Both will go straight into the team with either John or Riley and Wells Thompson likely dropped to the bench.
"It's brilliant [to have them back]," Revolution midfielder Andy Dorman said. "They are two really good players. They did well while they were away."
While Nicol can count on Parkhurst and Ralston, the Revs manager remains without Taylor Twellman, who was called into the Copa America squad and will miss the contest with Chivas USA.
New England will face a Chivas USA team that has struggled as of late and is devoid of Copa America attendees Brad Guzan, Sasha Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein.
Chivas USA has also changed managers since last season, although Nicol believes that Preki's work has mirrored that of former boss and current U.S. national team manager Bob Bradley.
"I think he's just carried on what Bob was doing out there," Nicol said. "They have a dynamic team. They like to get after you."
Most of the dynamic play can be attributed to the strike force of Ante Razov and Maykel Galindo. The duo has combined for 10 goals on the season and Dorman believes the pair is a reason why Chivas USA is dangerous.
"They're a good team," Dorman said. "They have good, quick strikers. It's going to be a tough task."
Revolution defender Jay Heaps said the dynamic nature of Chivas USA's attack can lead to the counter attack opportunities his team will need to emerge with three points.
"They are exciting to watch because they attack you from all angles," Heaps said. "We'll have to be smart and hopefully we can break on them. We need to spring our forwards and our wide guys."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
