FRISCO, Texas – It was only three weeks ago when FC Dallas fans took a collective deep breath at the sight of Carlos Rodríguez going down with a gruesome dislocated elbow. The horrific sight left many wondering how long Rodríguez would be out.
Turns out, not that long.
WATCH: Rodríguez goes down vs RSL
On Saturday, the Panamanian midfielder made a valiant return to the pitch after Hernán Pertúz went down with a leg injury just before halftime. FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman showed confidence in his recovery, opting to go with the injured Rodríguez over a young and fresh Moises Hernandez.
“I wasn’t nervous at all when coach told me I was going in there, even with the elbow,” Rodríguez told MLSsoccer.com. “The only thing that got to me was I was going in for an injured teammate. It was awful watching Hernan go down because I also went through that.”
But Rodríguez’s return didn't help the team get a result. In the 56th minute, Philadelphia’s Gabriel Gómez erased a 1-0 lead and scored the equalizer as Rodríguez was caught out.
“I thought I was in good position, but there was a miscommunication between me and George [John],” Rodríguez said. “The ball got behind us and they were able to reach it and put in the goal.”
Rodríguez admitted that he is not fully healthy but is working towards getting back to 100 percent. He seems ready to put his mistake – and the injury – behind him.
“There were some times out there when I was moving around that I did feel some pain, but that’s part of the rehabilitation,” Rodríguez said. “It’s a little bit swollen because of the game. I’m just going to do what the doctors tell me and keep icing it down. I know there are two big games coming up that we have to win and we just have to get prepared.”
