HOUSTON -- With a couple of exhibitions behind them, the Houston Dynamo have returned to preparing for MLS, with their Saturday match against the Colorado Rapids fast approaching.
Trialists Depart
Anthony Obodai, Juan Manuel Quevedo and Kendall Waston completed their trials with the the Dynamo and all three were not with the team for practice on Monday. Head coach Dominic Kinnear was intentionally non-committal regarding the three trialists, but he seemed to indicate that Houston may try to sign one of them.
“I told all three guys thanks and we will be in touch with their representatives,” said Kinnear. “The news will likely fall out from there.”
Serioux Returns
For the past several weeks, defender Adrian Serioux has been away from the team for personal reasons. Again, no specifics were provided, but Serioux was happy to be back and thankful that Kinnear allowed him the time.
“I had some personal issues that I needed to take care of and it was one of those things that I couldn’t delay any longer,” said Serioux. “Fortunately for me, Dom (coach Kinnear) was OK with it and allowed me to go home. It took longer than I thought, but I am back here now to do what I do best.”
Serioux was greeted upon his return by the Houston heat.
“It hit me hard,” said the Canadian defender. “You forget how hot it gets in the summer time in this city, but I am going to take it in stride, try to stay cool and hydrated.”
Cameron Still on the Side; Rest of Team Healthy
The good news for the Dynamo is that the team exits the break relatively healthy.
Mike Chabala entered the break missing the team’s last two games and seems to be fully recovered and, other than Geoff Cameron, the team appears completely healthy for one of the few times this season.
Cameron worked out on the side during practice and likely still has a ways to go before returning to the field. However, the midfielder was optimistic about the progress of his recovery.
“I am [still] shooting for August,” said Cameron. “That’s about four or five weeks away, but I am still taking it one day at a time.
“I passed the ball, got some touches and tried to get over the mental hurdle of being scared to strike or pass the ball,” Cameron said. “The doctor said that the MCL is 100 percent. It’s [now about] just getting over that feeling of weakness and taking it one step at a time.”
For Kinnear, Cameron can’t get back on the field fast enough.
“We miss him and hopefully he’ll be back in August,” he said. “He looks pretty good and he’s working as hard as he can to get back on the field.”
Dwain Capodice is a contributor to MLSsoccer.com. Questions or comments can be sent via email to dwaincapodice@gmail.com.
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