OBETZ, Ohio – When Wil Trapp crumpled to the MAPFRE Stadium turf in Saturday’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes, teammates guiding him to the ground, Columbus Crew SC fans held their breath.
Trapp collided with San Jose’s Shaun Francis while the pair fought for a header early in the match. The players knocked their heads together, and the midfielder wobbled on his feet before teammates grabbed him and helped him to the grass.
Crew SC staff immediately took him to the locker room, not risking any further injury.
The first thought on the minds of many in Columbus was Trapp’s three-month battle with a concussion last year that represents the longest struggle with injury in the young midfielder’s career.
Trapp spoke for the first time since the incident at Crew SC training Thursday, and says that while he won’t be traveling to Los Angeles with the team this weekend for a game against the LA Galaxy on Saturday (10:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE), he’s feeling much better than he did after last year’s bout with concussion symptoms.
“It’s a different injury than the one I had last year,” he said. “Obviously, people are going to gravitate to the lengthy absence I had last year, but with this one – although it was pretty intense – I feel good. Every day has been improved, in terms of symptoms, which is really good. So for the most part, I’m just taking it day by day.”
Trapp says he’s dealing with some headaches and swelling in the area of the hit, but none of the “blurry vision stuff” he struggled with last year. He’s not asymptomatic yet, but he and head coach Gregg Berhalter say he’s progressing well.
An aspect of the situation important to Berhalter is how the injury has been handled by the club's medical staff.
“The process of going through what we went through [last year with Trapp] was a learning experience,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot more about different types of concussions and different types of treatments. We went all over the place, all over the US trying to get treatment for Wil and figure out alternative therapy and different ways to treat this. In the process, we learned a lot about concussions.”
While he was sidelined last year, Trapp spent time researching concussions and learning about their effects and treatment, speaking to the likes of ESPN broadcaster and former New England Revolution player Taylor Twellman, who has been a leading voice for concussion education. Like the Crew SC organization, Trapp says he’s better equipped to handle the injury now.
“An acute injury occurred in a game and immediately we took care of it, whereas last year maybe we didn’t know that it was an injury and maybe we weren’t as quick to treat it as we have been with this one,” he said. “Also, I think I’m more prepared for something of this magnitude from an emotional, mental and physical standpoint.”
And despite positive indications, Berhalter says the team will bring Trapp back as slowly as necessary.
“I know that we have very good medical care; I know that we’re going to follow the protocol to the tee and make sure he returns when he’s ready to return,” he said. “If we hear information otherwise, we’re not going to bring him back. But right now, we’re on schedule, he’s progressing nicely and we’ll make the next step when appropriate.”
