When Houston Dynamo welcome the New York Red Bulls to Robertson Stadium on Thursday night, the Orange will be without the services of midfielder Brad Davis, who tore the medial meniscus in his right knee during practice on Tuesday.
Davis, 26, will be out indefinitely. The loss is a big one for the Orange, but head coach Dominic Kinnear knows the team has to continue on.
"That's a big loss. He's a good soccer player and his delivery on set pieces is worth its weight in a lot of goals, so you miss him that way. He opens the field up for us. He's a good passer," Kinnear said.
"You miss him, but we haven't had Ricardo [Clark] now for six weeks. You always have to be prepared for call-ups or injuries or lack of form, and that is why you have a squad because you know you can't be 100 percent every single week. It would be nice if you could, but you can't, so you have to adjust and have confidence in the guys that are playing."
Houston is coming off an undefeated June and will have to keep up the momentum without Davis. Dynamo played most of June without goalkeeper Pat Onstad, midfielders Dwayne De Rosario and Clark and forward Brian Ching, who were representing their respective countries in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Playing last month with a depleted roster might help the Orange this month.
"The good thing is that we've been a depleted roster anyway the last four or five weeks, so we've had young guys stepping in like Stuart Holden and Corey Ashe," said defender Craig Waibel. "The bad thing is losing an all-star in a guy like Brad Davis, who has led the league in assists the last two years running. His service is fantastic.
"Basically, what we do is rely on the same guys we have been relying on. Corey Ashe has come in. Stuart Holden has come in. Those guys are fantastic players. They're taking advantage of their situation, which is good to see from the young guys."
Davis has three goals and three assists this season, but he is the main provider on set pieces. His three goals this season came against Chivas USA on June 21. The hat trick was the first of Davis' career.
"When you think of Brad, you think of the competitor and set pieces, but you also think of the player and person that he is that he adds to the locker room," said midfielder Richard Mulrooney. "Although he'll still be in the locker room, he won't be with us on the field, and we hope he gets back sooner than later."
During June, rookies Holden, Ashe and second-year player Patrick Ianni stepped up to fill voids left by the four veterans. The rookies will be looked upon again to fill the void left by Davis' injury.
Dynamo don't know when Davis will return, but they hope it will be by the end of the season.
"Brad is a huge loss," Ianni said. "He's a hard-working player. He gave his all every night. His set pieces are always very dangerous. Definitely a staple of our game. We will definitely miss Brad and hope for a speedy recovery."
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
