FRISCO, Texas – As Brek Shea and David Ferreira jogged around the practice field still recovering from their injuries, Ricardo Villar returned to full participation in training for the first time since suffering a foot injury on April 5 against New England.
The Brazilian midfielder – who had two goals in his first five games of the season – was quick to temper any expectations of seeing him play in Houston on Saturday (7:30 pm ET, ESPN2), however, but an FC Dallas attack decimated by injuries will take any good news they can get.
“I’m not ready to play, but if I sit and wait until the full recovery is done then it might be too long,” Villar told reporters after Wednesday’s training session. “So I have to gauge in between not coming back too early and getting hurt again or not also waiting until you’re 100 percent all the way fit, because from the injury I have, how delicate it is, it might take awhile.”
For Villar and FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman, it’s a tricky decision on balancing the desire to not bring him back too early while also needing to jumpstart a team that is desperately missing an attacking presence in the middle of the park.
“The foot isn’t as bad, I think, as the nerve,” Hyndman said of Villar’s injury. “There’s still a lot of pain there and contact with the ball brings immediate pain. ... But having him back at practice is good to see.
“He brings a lot of things that we’re really unable to find right now and that’s just a calming force slowing things down.”
Villar said Hyndman had strict instructions for him as he slowly integrates himself back into the squad.
“To be smart and control myself, trying to be intelligent about it and not get a setback,” the midfielder said. “To slowly come back, but in the right direction.”
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