WASHINGTON – D.C. United’s expectations for Rodney Wallace this season could be measured by the sheer size of the banner that bore his likeness on the east side of RFK Stadium, one of several massive promotional signs nearly as tall as the building itself that stared down at passing cars on East Capitol Street.
But his season lasted less than 1,000 minutes, thanks to a broken leg sustained against Real Salt Lake on June 5 and a rehabilitation setback two months later that kept him from playing again in 2010.
A premature return to high intensity in August extended his original recovery schedule of 8-12 weeks into many months, and even now United’s trainers are handling him with caution, keeping him well short of full speed while the team winds down their post regular-season practice schedule.
“It was a mix of different things, different factors,” Wallace said this week. “On the one hand, it was my first serious injury and I was excited to come back and play, so personally, I wanted to come back, and I felt like I could’ve slowed down a little bit on my progress.
“We as a group all believed I was ready at that time, and I just wasn’t. And we had to tone it down and do what we had to do to get where we are now."
Like his apartment-mate Chris Pontius, Wallace was badly missed by the squad that benefited greatly from their surprising contributions as rookies in 2009. The left back slot was an ongoing headache for United this season and he admits now that the desire to help his struggling teammates instigated an overeager approach to recovery.
“It was me fighting against the pain, and I felt like I had to take a timeout and realize, it’s my career and it’s my leg and I have to tone it down and see what else I can do to get better,” Wallace said. “There was a lot going on. It was a big situation and I’m glad that we’re now getting this thing taken care of.”
His left fibula seems have fully healed, though at present he’s working through a gradual ramp-up with an eye towards the late January outset of 2011 preseason. That means no sprinting yet, though he has been able to do some light ball work.
“We’re starting to do a lot of agility stuff,” Wallace said Wednesday morning. “I’m doing a lot of the little things to get me through to be 100 percent running, and then from then on we’re working on my fitness at the same time: touches with the ball, everything to get back to normal. It’s a process but we’re getting there.
“It feels good to have a sense of just getting healthy,” he said. “I’m going upwards.”
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