It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to head injuries. Thankfully, Hassoun Camara is perfectly fine.
The Frenchman would have been deserving of an ice bath for the effort he put into the Montreal Impact’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders last Saturday. Not only did he track the runs of Seattle speedster Steve Zakuani for 84 minutes, but two of the six crosses he blocked left marks on his body.
The first, a ball by Mario Martinez in first-half injury time, struck Camara’s belly, quite literally taking his breath away. The other, attempted in the 71st minute by Leo González, whacked Camara right on the head, sending him crashing to the turf.
MLS Match Recap: Seattle Sounders 0, Montreal Impact 1
“The cross was a hard one, but I didn’t hesitate to lift my head up and block it,” Camara told MLSsoccer.com over the phone from Portland, Ore., where the Impact are training in preparation for this weekend's game against the Timbers. “It hit me right on the temple.”
Camara played another five minutes before his day ended when he quietly sat down in the 18-yard box. Teammates Davy Arnaud and Alessandro Nesta gestured to referee Silviu Petrescu that their teammate might have suffered a head injury.
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As Camara readily admits, it was a time to be reasonable.
“Obviously it was a sensitive situation, so I chose to listen to (the Impact's trainer) and came off,” Camara said. “There were only five minutes left and we had to hold on to our lead, so it was probably better to have a player who felt 100 percent good.
“But now, I’m fine. Really, really fine.”
