New England Revolution manager Steve Nicol is likely to field an unchanged side for Saturday's away encounter with D.C. United at RFK Stadium.
With a strong performance last weekend in a 2-0 victory against Kansas City, Joe Franchino will keep his place at left back, leaving Avery John to be content with a spot on the bench.
Joining him in a substitute role will be Brazilian left midfielder Cassio. He will travel this weekend after not making the squad for last weekend's match in Kansas City. Cassio has struggled to make an impact after picking up a series of injuries, including a nagging case of turf toe.
After obtaining full fitness in the past couple of weeks, Cassio has not worked his way onto the left flank. Marshall Leonard is the preferred option for Nicol, and the Scot did not lend any insight as to when or if Cassio would join the starting lineup.
"There's no timeline," said Nicol. "He's traveling tomorrow. We're playing well and winning games. How do you make changes? Unfortunately, he's had the injuries."
Injuries also plague sidelined Revolution striker Taylor Twellman. Suffering from a hamstring strain picked up in the Revolution's last home match June 4 against Kansas City, Twellman is projected to return to the field in the next couple of weeks, potentially for the July 4 encounter in Los Angeles.
Twellman was at training on Thursday morning, going through light stretching exercises on the side of the training field in order to loosen up his hamstring.
Nicol is reluctant to rush his striker back to fitness, especially in light of similar problems last season, or to establish expectations of an imminent return.
"He is doing very, very light stuff," said Nicol. "Once you see him getting better, then we'll try to step it up and see how he reacts. If it's good, we'll push him. If not, we won't. He's anxious to get back and score goals."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
