FRISCO, Texas — FC Dallas right back Jackson Gonçalves (above, right) suffered bruised ribs during Sunday’s match against Real Salt Lake and had X-rays taken during the extended lightning delay, FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said following the match.
The Brazilian suffered the injury in the second half and was unable to return after the hour-and-52-minute delay for lightning in an eventual scoreless draw with their Western Conference rivals.
“Jackson got hit pretty badly and he tried to work his way through it,” Hyndman said, “but he was just not able [to continue]. He went and did X-rays at the delay and he was just not able to go in there and be able to compete.”
It wasn't immediately clear how much time Jackson will miss or if he would travel with FC Dallas for their midweek trip to Seattle. While the X-rays showed only a bruise for the 22-year-old, it comes at an inopportune time for FCD as they await the return of Jair Benítez after the perennial starter suffered a left knee injury.
Jackson has been a vital cog to FCD’s current 399-minute shutout streak, controlling the right side of defense and causing opposing midfields problems with his pacey counterattacks.
With Jackson unable to finish the last eight minutes of Sunday’s game, Hyndman was forced to bring in rookie Bobby Warshaw as a defensive midfielder alongside Daniel Hernandez and move a familiar face to the left back position.
“We don’t have a lot of depth right now on our defense, and that's you why see Brek Shea having to come back [to play defense],” said Hyndman. “It forced us to put Brek back in defense since we don’t have Jair.”
Hyndman told MLSsoccer.com during the week leading to the Real Salt Lake game that if Benítez wasn’t ready for Sunday’s game, he would be available the following weekend for the Texas Derby match with the Houston Dynamo.
FC Dallas face a short week with a game on Wednesday at Seattle. The team left for the Pacific Northwest on Monday afternoon.
