Real Salt Lake defender Chris Schuler could miss the duration of the regular season after suffering multiple broken bones in his face during a collision during a match last weekend.
Schuler collided with teammate Nat Borchers while defending a corner kick in the 32nd minute of RSL’s road match at Chivas USA last Saturday. He immediately fell to the ground and was subbed out of the match seven minutes later, and RSL went on to lose to the game, 1-0.
The club revealed on Friday that Schuler suffered a fractured sinus and other fractured bones in the orbital area of his right eye in the collision, and that there are concerns about nerves in the area that could affect Schuler’s vision if the injury isn’t given due time to heal.
“This is an important thing around his eyeball,” RSL head coach Jeff Cassar said after the team’s practice on Friday. “If not handled the correct way, he could lose a little bit of his vision."
A club spokesman told MLSsoccer.com on Friday that Schuler was relatively free of pain on Friday aside from some slight soreness in the area, but that he will be re-examined in the coming days to understand the extent of the injury and if he’ll miss any time beyond the regular season.
Schuler will not, however, appear in RSL’s home match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday (9:30 pm ET; MLS Live), and the club will likely lean on defenders Aaron Maund or Carlos Salcedo to fill his spot. Schuler has appeared in a career-high 25 games this season, scoring three goals and adding one assist.
RSL can clinch a berth in the postseason win a win over the Quakes, or with a tie and other scenarios falling into place this weekend.