New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol will be without the services of former English international Steve Howey for this weekend's match against Western Conference leaders Colorado.
The former Newcastle United star suffered a right quadriceps strain during the week, ruling him out for at least the weekend.
Avery John, who has been in and out of the side since Howey's arrival, would be the logical choice to reclaim a starting berth in central defense alongside Rusty Pierce, but he is suspended for this weekend's encounter.
Jay Heaps is likely to slide from right back to center back, with Steve Ralston manning the right back position. Either Felix Brilliant or Richie Baker is likely to start at right midfield.
Backup goalkeeper Doug Warren was concussed during the week of practice. With Adin Brown and Kyle Singer remaining on the injury list, the Revolution will be forced to dig into the MLS 'keeper pool again for this weekend's match. The identity of the backup is not known at the current time, but the Revolution are expected to have a second choice keeper in place by game time.
Joey Franchino, Joe-Max Moore, and Carlos Llamosa are out for the weekend, with Franchino expected back relatively soon, while Moore and Llamosa are still suffering from long-term knee injuries.
Clint Dempsey, Marshall Leonard, and Shalrie Joseph are all suffering from minor knocks, but they will assume their regular places in the first XI.
Jose Cancela remains outside of the starting lineup, dropped due to a lack of form in Nicol's eyes.
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
