FRISCO, Texas -- The injury situation that threatened a 1-1 draw on the road on Saturday in Toronto looked a whole lot better when FC Dallas suited up back at home on Monday.
All four players who dealt with injury issues – George John, Daniel Hernandez, Dax McCarty and Ugo Ihemelu – participated on in training, leaving FCD coach Schellas Hyndman to reflect on how important a healthy lineup will be for the side going forward.
“What we wanted to do this week is continue to recover with Dax, give George a little time off not just for the head but to recover the body,” Hyndman said. “Daniel Hernandez was banged up a little bit. You play this many years in the league and the way he plays, the body takes a beating. And Ugo with a strained groin [is something] we just want to keep monitoring.”
John left the game in the second half on Saturday after sustaining a blow to the back of his head which required seven stitches. McCarty missed the trip with a strained right quadriceps, and Ihemelu is dealing with a strained right groin.
Hyndman said both Hernandez and Ihemelu will be available for this Saturday’s matchup at Colorado, while John said Monday he’s recovered from the tough knock taken in Toronto.
McCarty’s status, however, remains uncertain, and it’s unclear if he’ll return to practice this week. One factor working in the midfielder’s favor is that FCD has Tuesday off, which would give him another day to recover and potentially return to practice on Wednesday.
Full Team Traveling to Colorado This Weekend
FCD’s traveling party to Colorado will be a bit larger than normal this weekend. In addition to the first team facing the Rapids on Saturday afternoon at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the FCD and Colorado reserves will also square off on the stadium field immediately following the main event.
Since the reserve game is immediately after the first teams play, FCD will return to Frisco on Sunday as scheduled.
Wanted: One Backup Keeper
When No. 2 goalkeeper Dario Sala was ejected in the second half of Saturday’s game for dissent, it meant FCD will need a new backup keeper for Saturday’s game in Commerce City. The logical choice is Josh Lambo, who has been on loan for much of the season to USSF Division II club Tampa Bay.
But when Hyndman was asked about when Lambo would arrive, he offered somewhat of a noncommittal answer, raising the possibility that he might even ask to have an emergency keeper called in from the league pool.
“We’re working on that right away. As soon as that occurred, we started the process,” Hyndman said. “We have [Tuesday] off. We’ll have a better idea of what’s going on when we work on it tomorrow.”
All-Star Duo in Houston
Two players not present for Monday morning’s recovery session were midfielder David Ferreira and defender Heath Pearce. Both are reserves for the MLS squad in Wednesday’s 2010 All-Star Game against English Premier League side Manchester United. Ferreira and Pearce both flew directly to Houston from Toronto on Sunday in advance of Wednesday’s festivities.
