HOUSTON – When Will Bruin left with an ankle at halftime of the Houston Dynamo’s match Sunday against the Seattle Sounders, it was a stark reminder of their lack of depth at that position.
And Bruin’s absence showed, with the Dynamo going down in a 2-0 defeat following a strong first half that ended scoreless.
Bruin, the Dynamo’s leading scorer with eight goals, was nowhere to be found in the club’s training session Tuesday, their first gathering since Sunday’s match in what was mostly just a regeneration for the starters. But luckily for Houston, head coach Dominic Kinnear said Bruin’s injury isn’t serious.
“He hurt his ankle a little bit,” Kinnear said. “I don’t think it’s long-term; he’s up and walking.”
Bruin suffered the injury striking a ball midway through the first half. After hitting the shot that was blocked by Djimi Traore, he immediately went down but was able to finish the final 21 minutes of the half before leaving for Jason Johnson.
Getting Bruin back sooner rather than later will be a blessing for the Dynamo. With Bruin in the fold the club only has four healthy forwards. He’s partnered with Giles Barnes for a majority of the season, while Johnson and Omar Cummings, who did not make the 18-man game-day roster Sunday, have provided relief.
The injury, plus other issues, have prompted talk of the Dynamo’s ability to utilize the time before the Sept. 15 roster freeze to add to their quiver. While the ability to transfer players has come and gone, the Dynamo could still add players through trade or by signing free agents.
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But forward isn’t the only position of need. Kinnear has said in the past the club, who have allowed a league worst 42 goals in 22 games, could continue to look at the backline, namely center back.
Currently they have defender Marc Zoro on trial. The 30-year-old has made 22 appearances for the Ivory Coast national team and has spent time in Italy, Portugal and most recently in Greece with OFI Crete. Zoro picked up an injury in training last week, but his presence could be a sign of the club looking to add, especially if the injury bug returns.
“We looked at [Zoro's] video and it looked good but he’s not been able to show too much because of his injury,” Kinnear said. “… You’re never done. You’re trying to do something whether it’s trades or something from outside the country. Until the trade deadline is over, we’ll keep trying to do something.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
