FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England may have suffered two considerable personnel setbacks en route to sealing a berth in the SuperLiga final on Wednesday night.
Starting XI fixtures Kevin Alston (mild left hamstring strain) and Marko Perovic (strained left calf) limped off the field during the Revolution's 1-1 draw and subsequent penalty-kick victory over Puebla.
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Perovic departed in the 33rd minute after tweaking his calf while trying to ward off challenges in the physical encounter, while Alston joined him on the bench a half an hour later after pulling up while making a recovery run during the second half.
New England coach Steve Nicol said he wasn't immediately certain of the severity of the injuries incurred by the duo. Alston and Perovic are expected to undergo further examination Thursday or Friday before determining their availability for the critical match against D.C. United on Saturday.
“It's too early to tell,” Nicol told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday night. “Kevin's hamstring, he felt it tightening up. Marko's calf was tightening up. We've got a huge game on Saturday, so we couldn't take chances with either of them.”
Losing Alston and Perovic for any length of time would deal the Revs a bitter blow as they seek to extend their six-match unbeaten run. All-Star fullback Alston locks down the right side with only makeshift options on hand to cover – center back Emmanuel Osei slid out there to compensate on Wednesday night – when he is not available, while Perovic has scored four goals in his past six matches to help fuel New England's resurgence.
“I'm definitely worried,” Revolution captain Shalrie Joseph said. “That's the sobering part about the whole game. We'll probably be missing Marko for the weekend and Kevin might be out. That's going to be a huge loss.”
Although New England would miss Alston and Perovic if they are unable to feature against United, Revolution midfielder Pat Phelan said his teammates have displayed their ability to adapt to any circumstances presented to them and would be able to find a way to plug the holes ahead of the DC match.
“That's unfortunate,” Phelan said. “Hopefully, it's not too bad with either Kevin or Marko because we have a big game on Saturday. At this point in the season, everyone's becoming more and more versatile. A number of players are comfortable in different positions and that's only a strength.”
