KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Graham Zusi is aiming to return to Sporting Kansas City's lineup this weekend after missing their last three games across all competitions with a right quad strain.
Manager Peter Vermes did not rule out the possibility of Zusi being in the roster for Sunday's match at San Jose (10 pm ET, Univision Deportes), but continues to list the All-Star midfielder as day-to-day.
"We're not going to push it if he's not ready," Vermes told MLSsoccer.com after Tuesday's training session. "We haven't done it thus far. I'm sure, yes, that's a goal, but it doesn't mean that it's a drop-dead date or anything. I think right now, we'll take it as it comes."
That's the same assessment Vermes gave for winger Kei Kamara, who scored a brace in this past Saturday's 3-0 home win over the New England Revolution, but suffered a sprained ankle on a red-card tackle by the Revs' Andy Dorman in the 86th minute.
"He's a lot better than he was the other day," Vermes said. "He's walking. He's not on crutches any more. We'll probably take another day or two, and then we'll see Thursday — or maybe tomorrow try to jog a little bit, and then Thursday we'll see see if he can maybe step it up a little more. It's just day-to-day with him as well."
Vermes stopped short of saying that Dorman, one of two players sent off for the Revs on Saturday, should get an additional suspension for the foul. Still, he minced no words when talking about the play that left Kamara hobbling off the pitch with help from the training staff.
"It's a bad tackle. It's a bad tackle. I mean, he gets taken out from behind," Vermes said. "That stuff's up to the Disciplinary Committee, obviously, because they have the past experience on what they've done with other guys, But it's a bad tackle from behind, absolutely. It's in the open field and coming in the way he did from the side and kind of clips his ankle underneath his leg. It's not good."
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Zusi, who pulled up in the first half of the MLS All-Star game on July 31, did not train with his teammates on Tuesday but worked one-on-one with fitness coach Mateus Manoel.
"It felt good. It's coming back well," he said. "I'm just building it up little by little. I don't want to push it unnecessarily, but it felt good today."
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
