FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The injury bug hasn't abandoned the New England Revolution just yet.
The Revs have coped with a string of unfortunate maladies for much of the campaign, but they have seen many of those wounded players work their way back into the lineup over the past few weeks.
And just when left back Chris Tierney thought he had done it, misfortune struck again. Tierney was in the starting lineup for last Saturday's 2-2 draw with the Columbus Crew, but he withdrew shortly before kickoff with a left knee strain.
“He had a knock on his knee and it really wasn't right,” Revs head coach Steve Nicol told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday. “The game was one where we had to win and we just couldn't take any chances. Obviously, having [defender] Seth [Sinovic] to step in makes it easier as well.”
Tierney has returned to training this week with hopes of reclaiming his spot at left back ahead of the date against MLS Cup holders Real Salt Lake on Saturday, but doubts continue to swirl around the status of two other defenders ahead of the clash.
Kevin Alston has missed both days of training this week as he continues to seek answers about a problematic left hamstring. Alston came off during the first half of the draw against the Crew and underwent a MRI on Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury, according to his Twitter feed.
While Alston looks likely to miss the match against RSL, Cory Gibbs may be fit enough to keep his place in central defense. Gibbs underwent a procedure to address an infection on his hip earlier this week and Nicol said he hopes to have the veteran defender back at training on Thursday.
