CARSON, Calif. – Chivas USA may be without one of their chief offensive weapons when they take on the Vancouver Whitecaps this weekend, as Juan Agudelo sat out his third straight practice on Thursday.
The 19-year-old forward is currently listed as questionable due to a knee injury that he described as “a bone bruise,” which led to swelling in his left knee. Agudelo has dealt with knock since his undergoing surgery in March to repair a torn medial meniscus in his left knee.
The injury has not hindered the US international too much, as the forward has scored two goals and three assists in eight appearances across all competitions since arriving via trade from New York in May, but his status for Saturday vs. the Whitecaps at the Home Depot Center (10:30 pm ET, watch LIVE online) is still up in the air.
“I’m getting better day by day, the swelling is going down day by day and it’s getting better, which is a good sign,” Agudelo told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday. “It’s getting closer to make a decision whether to push or be smart about it. I’m new to this because it was the first surgery that I ever had and I’m aware there were some effects after.”
With a US Open Cup semifinal date at Seattle next week and a bloated MLS schedule on the horizon, Chivas USA may err on the side of caution when deciding what role Agudelo plays – if any – on Saturday.
“Certainly, we’re treating him as the symptoms appear, we want to make sure that he feels ready and it’s been little bit of slow going,” head coach Robin Fraser told MLSsoccer.com. “It’s unclear at this point if he’ll be available this weekend or not.
