SALT LAKE CITY - Real Salt Lake today announced that DF Danny Torres will be out of action a minimum of six weeks due to a mid-foot sprain in his right foot. The extent of the injury was confirmed late Friday by Dr. Andrew Cooper after X-rays were taken at the Sports Medicine Center of Utah. Torres was fitted with a cast, which he will wear for the next four-to-six weeks.
In the 57th minute of Real Salt Lake's 3-1 over the New England Revolution on Friday, July 14, Torres' right foot "wrenched" in the natural turf of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., suffering the non-contact injury on the same play in which the Revolution's Taylor Twellman scored to pull New England to within two goals with a half-hour to play.
Torres now suffers from what RSL Head Athletic Trainer Jake Joachim calls "gapping" to his lisfranc ligament, which is pulling bones apart in his foot and causing a great deal of pain. Torres completed the game in which the injury occurred and even practiced through the pain in three sessions earlier this week, but team physicians, after seeing the results of the x-rays, determined that extended rest and the casting of the foot was needed to prevent a potential career-ending injury.
"Losing Danny is an extremely unfortunate occurrence at this juncture in our season," said RSL Head Coach John Ellinger. "Not only has he been one of our key performers through our first 17 games, but I would even call him our Most Valuable Player so far. With the glut of MLS games and Open Cup contests coming up in the next six weeks, our depth was going to be tested. Now with the loss of a starting central defender, it will be an even bigger issue. Fortunately, we are confident that we have players who will seize the opportunity to step up."
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